My feeling is there must be more to the story than what has been said so far.

Imagine a foreigner who is in Canada legally, as a student, on a work visa, or whatever, and who loses their passport while travelling outside of the country. Does this story imply that such a person could never re-enter Canada legally? Doesn't make any sense, does it?

Where is the French consulate in Vancouver in all this? One would think they could arrange for him to obtain a new passport.