While you are correct that IRCC should have some solid plan to deal withstudent visas, TRVs, work permits and sponsorship what you are up against is the Canadian citizenry wanting the borders to remain closed. A marked majority want it to remain that way (particularly the US border). Any government faced with that level of support for a specific policy isn’t going to go against the popular wishes of the country. The governments priority is to its citizens.
While what you say may be true, that also means that in that case, IRCC should not have encouraged so many international students across the world to keep applying for the study permit & shouldn't have induced students to keep submitting new applications.
When it's so clear that they aren't going to allow any of us inside before the end of 2022 (i.e., before all 8 billion people on earth are vaccinated), then they should NOT have continued accepting new study permit applications, even after knowing that their processing had stopped for some time in between & that they are not going to allow us till every last trace of Covid is wiped out of earth.
Why keep students, their lives & their life savings in the loop when they're so clear about what they will do in regards to allowing us in?
Why did they not cancel all international student intake for fall 2020 completely, 'cause anyway we are only going to be allowed by 2022, and that too, if at all.
Keeping thousands of us in the loop & after making us invest our blood, sweat, time, energy & a very significant part of our lives into studying in Canada, if they go back on their words about the PGWP, and if they don't let even those with full approval before March 18th enter, then that is CLEAR invalidation & incognizance of our lives, efforts & our sufferings as humans.
Should have announced in May / June that no international student (except US students) will be allowed in & that no new permit applications will be accepted. Otherwise, it's not fair to us humans here, to be kept in the loop only to be totally denied entry even with a valid Visa before March 18th.
It may be a simple thing for people in the west, but poor countries are the worst-hit when it comes to any global economic crisis like this. For meritorious students from poor countries who've slogged all their life, going through hell & back for excellence in education, this could well be a life & death scenario.