i reject outright the suggestion that australia, or australians are racist
these attacks on indian students were perpetrated by a small number of complete f*ckwits that have no place on this earth. It is ridiculous to suggest that australia is not a safe place for indians to live. i have tons of indian friends in australia who live a normal life and don't live in fear. australians are generally welcoming, friendly and tolerant. and to the extent that any "racism" or intolerance of other cultures occurs, I can assure you that exists in other countries too, including Canada (and the UK and US too).
regarding the government restrictions, perhaps the reason they are tightening restrictions is to avoid a situation such as what happens here in canada where qualified doctors, electricians, engineers etc... from places like china, india, pakistan, phillippines are driving cabs, working in fast food or shovelling snow for a living because the immigration system is out of touch with the labour market and employers perceptions of foreign workers. if you are qualified in these areas, and your goal is to get a job in your field, then i would suggest you'd have a better chance of doing that in australia than in canada - despite tougher entry requirements. on the other hand, if your goal is to immigrate to any western country with a high standard of living, without really caring about your job or maintaining a high standard of living, that is probably easier to do in canada.
thats not to say it is impossible to find a good job in canada as an immigrant. i have done it, as have various people i work with. canada is a fantastic country with plenty of opportunity if you are prepared to work hard. i love it here and definitely want to stay.
think about what you want to achieve by moving to another country, and think about each country on its merits, rather than just believing sensationalist news reports