Has any Canadian who is leasing sold to a friend/spouse in order to be able to register as an eligible owner? I know this was a loophole in the US deal, does it exist in the Canadian deal I wonder?
Nope, no loophole in Canada - if you bought after the scandal, they specifically ask if the car was under lease when the scandal broke (by you, or someone else), and answering either question Yes locks you into the 'No buyback unless there's no fix' side of things.
Now, if you were the person leasing when the scandal broke, you get twice as much as the sorry money than if you bought it off lease from someone else... If you bought out your lease, you get half the sorry money an owner does. If you bought out a lease from someone else, you get 25% of the sorry money. Lessees get the shaft, for sure.
SO, no, there's no way to force yourself into a buyback position like the US deal. The crux of the issue being the US deal does not ask when you bought the car (which is definitely biting VW of USA in the ass). The Canadian deal rectified that.