What if you're in another country? One that you're not a citizen of?
PS - I didn't mean to suggest that a replacement passport was free, simply that, if you lose it while outside of the country, as a citizen, you can go to a Canadian Embassy to get a replacement. If our citizenship rights end at the border, you couldn't do that. You'd have to find some way to get back to Canada (without a passport), and obtain a replacement.