Around the US election, by asking a Canadian friend (I'm technically a citizen, but by birth and have only been there a handful of times). He said work visas were harder to get but that other visas were much easier, and that obtaining permanent residency was almost a shoo-in once you had a visa for a few years.

You're hearing the opposite from people who are trying hard to be negative about the Trump presidency, instead of thinking for themselves.

We typically require people to prove that the job they're going to do can not be feasibly offered to a citizen. Typically exemptions can apply if you're applying for a work visa for a transfer within a multinational company, and for a small number of other more niche roles. In order to be exempt as a professional you need to be a citizen of Mexico or the U.S. and provably belong to a profession which is specifically exempted (there are a bit over 60) according to a list.