I called the reservations line to re-confirm this ticket (it has only been on hold) and I asked the agent if "miles earned on this flight will count towards elite status" and the answer was a (confident) "yes they will".

Me: "even if it's a UA codeshare operated by CA"?
Him: "Yup. It's a UA flights so it counts."

Fingers crossed. I'll believe it when I see it.

FWIW, this trip will be part of a "challenge" to match my AA PLT status to Premier Exec. That's why I'm so concerned about the EQM.