In the days when finding a telephone and getting through to ATS was more difficult I can almost understand the failure to book out. In these days of mobile telephones, it is a two minute job whilst walking out to the aircraft.
But when I do phone flight service, It'll often be a 15 to 20 minute wait to get through on the phone, so that two minute call can take 22 minutes, which is often longer than I fly for! If Nav Canada were to employ enough people to answer the phones in under two minutes, I would not want to be paying for that service, I feel that our society does not need that degree of regulated voluntary oversight.
Speaking as a volunteer firefighter of 25 years, we have spent ever bit as much time looking for difficult to find car accidents, lost persons, boats, and snowmobiliers, as crashed aircraft, and our society does not expect the surface borne to report their intended trip nor destination, why should pilots be more burdened? Because they fly farther into remote territory? Then yes, they can file a flight plan or flight notification, and I'm sure that they do.
By the way, while walking out to the aircraft, don't be on the phone, think about where you're walking! Ramps can be busy places!