I think they have learned from the Gun Registry that these things must be confirmed in the presence of a government officer. The whole point is to avoid fraud and to provide positive confirmation of the applicant. While it is a major logistical and time consuming activity, I dare say compared to just getting a visa to visit a country like India or Poland, this is within the range of tolerability. Afterall, isn't living in Canda worth a little inconvenience every so often?
That said, just wait until we citizens have to do the same thing to get a card that will let us visit the USA!
As to the original poster's friend, consider it ironic that if it weren't for the American's view that our old system was too prone to falsification, this would likely not be happening. Your friend's American citizenship is will not be accepted here, if they will not accept his land status there.