I suspect that the current problem is not whether the Q400 is the right aircraft for the job or not. More likely, if there will be enough 'suitable' pilots available to fly it. By all accounts, it is a lovely aircraft to fly but, for their own reasons, a significant number of experienced captains and FOs have indicated that they will not be bidding for positions when they come available. Hence those who are interested are largely the pilots with less experience than one would expect to be appointed to a new type - I'm not suggesting that they are not competent to operate the aircraft, just that many of the more experienced pilots will be bypassed of their own volition.