Did you just happen to miss the part where waiters and waitresses make less than minimum wage?

 If the service was bad, I generally do about 10% with a minimum of $3.  If it was decent service, I do 15-16% (usually just double the tax and round up).  If it was good service, I do 20-ish%, depending on where I am.

For a bar, I do $1.25 for my first drink and $.75 for every drink after unless it's a place I've been going to a long time and the bar tender rocks. 

In Canada it's different because only two provinces (Ontario and Quebec) even allow tipped employees to be paid less than minimum wage and even in those two cases the minimum wages of tipped employees is very close to the minimum wage of untipped employees so they don't have to rely on tipping as much.

With that being said I noticed the general consenses in the U.S. is that Canadians are bad tippers so maybe that might be part of the reason. I know when I'm in the U.S. though I tip the same as I do in Canada (from 20%-40% depending on service) but some Canadians might not be aware that U.S. employers are allowed to pay their waiters/waitresses so low.

ps. I'm considered a generous tipper in Canada...

*Edit: Oops I also meant to say that I think Entroper is right and 15% is the standard.

No need to tip in Australia as people are paid higher wages, allowing everyone to have a constant reasonable income (good when paying a morgage or just doing the budget). It's a fair system with a reduced risk of abuse and poverty

In Australia a waiter gets paid a base rate of about $15/hr (US $12.80/hr) on weekdays $22/hr (US $18.80/hr)sundays $30/hr (US $25.60/hr) public holidays (since wait staff are in short supply in Australia, good staff get paid more than the base)

I don't know where your all getting this idea that the whole room is starting at you for tipping less than 15% :p Honestly, the only way I can see this is if you tip the Taxi guy less. In restaurants that are tip candidates, they will usually bring you the bill and you do one of two things. If you pay with a credit card, they will bring you back the receipt and you fill out the tip amount (if your tipping via card) or you leave money, get up and leave. If paying by card, you could also put 0 tip on the card and leave money at that point and stand up and leave the restaurant. The waiter and staff most likely won't even know what you tipped until you're in your car.

Personally, I find myself tipping over 15% on a regular basis and mostly 20% since it's nice and easy to figure out :P On a $12 bill you would move the decimal one place (1.2) and double it ($2.4). If your spending $12 on a meal, and the waiter or waitress was on top of the job (drinks always available, not too attentive by bothering you with a mouth full of food, and they know the menu) that extra $2.40 isn't going to kill you.