Even being a metro Vancouver resident, I would never fly Air Canada. I've avoided them for the past 3 decades, opting for British Airways when traveling to the UK and Europe.
I know that there are complaints about British Airways on FlyerTalk, but I suspect that most members still choose to fly with them. Air Canada simply doesn't care about its customers and actively demonstrates that.
Almost ever day, Canadians are bombarded with news about the poor service of Air Canada (and other Canadian airlines), which may explain my preference for British Airways.