Yeah, because Canada is secretly a part of the UNITED STATES
Only in this, and a few other minor instances, are employment laws the same in Canada as they are in the US. If American employees enjoyed all of the legally-mandated benefits and protections that Canadian employees enjoy, they'd be a much happier bunch, employment-wise.
In this particular situation, if the OP is American and a non-exempt employee, he/she is entitled to be paid for mandatory training that's not required by law. If his/her employer refuses to pay, he/she can file a claim with his/her state or federal DOL. However, he/she will then have to wait a very long time for his/her training pay, and might only receive minimum wage for the training
If the OP is Canadian and a non-exempt employee, he/she is entitled to be paid for mandatory training that's not required by law. If the OP's employer refuses to pay, the OP can complain to his/her provincial or federal employment standards/labour boards, and he/she will receive a settlement within four weeks, as mandated by law. Furthermore, this settlement will be at his/her normal rate of pay. If Canada was indeed part of the US, the OP would not enjoy this benefit.