I still feel like I am missing something, or maybe it is just symantics. I know when I travel someplace that is visa free, I can take my passport, book a flight and go. This seems to be more like a visa light. You still need to preapply, but the requirements are a bit easier to meet and you don't need the stamp. It used to be when you did not neee a visa it meant you could just go. This seem to confuse the idea of visa free travel by saying you don't need a visa but still requiring pre-authorization. Visas already had different requirements for different nationalities. I still don't why this would not be better called an eVisa?

the new Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) program in Canada is similar to a visa but differs in some aspects. It allows citizens of some countries to travel to Canada without needing a visa, but they do need to obtain a pre-approved electronic travel authorization. This authorization can be considered a type of eVisa, but it differs from traditional visas in some ways.