I'd say you are on the right track. Canada AND Alaska are two of the best places in the world for float plane operations.
It does NOT matter where you do your float training however, if you find the right operator, and they like you and your flying, they might also hire you.
There are several who might be sympathetic to allowing you to later work for them but its going to be impossible to do it over the phone.
Start with the directory, look at their fleets, you need the 180, 185, 206 or 172 on floats.
A multi engine rating and instrument rating is not going to help you that much as its cheaper and easier to get both in Canada and or the USA.
Now, bear in mind, its a lot EASIER for an Australian to get to work in the USA than Canada, but not a lot of difference at the end of the day.
To land that job in Canada, the employer has to file a form that it could not locate a Canadian to do the job... you take that to the Canadian embassy in Seattle, get it issued, then pay a fee for a work permit that is limited to that company.
As long as you don't go have to cross a border, no immigration officer is going to ask to see that work permit. Drive across the border, and come back again and even with a work permit, an abusive Canadian official can keep you there for days until a Ministers permit gets you back into Canada.
With your low, but significant time, it is better to go the instructing route.
Again, DONT DO the instructor rating in Australia..
First, even with an instructor rating from AUS, or the USA,, remember the USA... you still need to do 15 hours duel and 15 hours ground before you can be recommended for a flight test.
The better way for you is to do get a US commercial, get an US instructor rating, instrument rating and then add on the Instrument Instructor and ME instructor if you can afford it or leave it for later, when you need to renew, just do the add on ME instructor and that renews the US rating.
Now, if you DONT land a job teaching in Alaska, you will land one somewhere else in the huge country of the USA...
Now, that instructor rating is done on time required not minimum hours. So just reach standard.
That will give you an ICAO instructor rating, that reduces your Canadian requirement to 15 duel and 15 ground.
Now you have a US instrument rating, just do a simple exam and its Convertible to Canadian.
Then in Canada, you have duel tickets, not that it can be used but it gives you TWO systems and that broadens your outlook. It also opens up a world of opportunities in the Caribbean, Africa, South America , you name it, jobs galore go begging.
Africa.. Get that instructor rating and it will open doors for you flying a 206 in Botswana or similar operations.
Now, if you are instructing in Canada, you can then look for that FLOAT JOB as it crops up. Find a flight school with a float operation. That would help you get those float hours..
I recall back in 1988, when I came to Canada I had NO float time and was offered a job flying floats.. I took a turbine merlin job instead. I was worried at the time of not having a work permit but operators did not give a dam back then. The bush is the bush and there is different attitude.
If you are near a city odds are you will find airport immigration officers will want to see that work permit.
Again, I'd suggest you get your bag packed and go the USA.. Find a place that specializes in the production of Instructor Ratings.
Now, if you can find a CANADIAN Class One instructor rating in the US, then that might help reduce the hours requirement but, in reality you will need every one of those 15 hours of air and 15 hours ground to be recommended for the flight test. In fact, I'd expect more but if you do you preparation, you wont have a problem.
The KEY is to have your preparatory ground instruction down pat. Very few candidates actually fail the air portion, its the ground that is the maker or breaker.
Now if you are coming to Canada women will come into your life and you need to remember, DO NOT start a family in Canada.
Canadian father's have NO legal rights. Any separation will most probably result in the kids never seeing their father at all or in any substantive way in the future. It's NOT like Australia. False allegations are rampant and do not need any corroboration. What ever high quality evidence you may have will not be listened to.
If you meet a Canadian girl make sure you use multiple precautions and never ever have a child born in Canada.
More than 50% of pilots are divorced and most had their flying career interrupted by the stress of the above crap.
I've lost count of the number of pilots who had their careers destroyed. Then I recall a transport canada inspector who had a heart attack due to stress and several months later, told him to go back to work...
Canada has a great deal to offer new CPL's, it can be one hell of an adventure.
I'd suggest you watch "ice pilots", the lay back attitude is typical. So is the traditions of working the ramp etc before flying.
That route can take a long time. Instructing means little ramp time. If you can change countries, you can drum up students and end up very busy even at a school that has a large number of "part time instructors" ...
When those successful instructors move on, the schools hours can suffer.
Other schools have a never ending constant stream of high quality cashed up students.
Good luck...
Ramjet