Fiji set up a table-topping decider with France in Toulouse next Saturday after they capitalised on Canadian errors to win their Group C match and leave the losers with remote hopes of making the play-offs.
The 1987 quarter-finalists, who had try-scoring winger Marika Vunibaka sent off with a minute to go after head-butting Kyle Nicholls, ran in four tries to Canada's one - leaving the Canadians without a victory and hoping for a big win over Namibia next week to claim the best third-placed spot.
Earlier Vunibaka, a member of the sevens world championship-winning team who had been selected after first-choice Imanueli Tikomaimakogai went down with flu, virtually wrapped the match up with a try on the hour.
Despite being covered by two Canadian defenders, Vunibaka, who had been thrown an "adapt to the bigger game" gauntlet beforehand by coach Brad Johnstone, ran in unopposed to touch down under the posts.
However, it had been a dreadful error by Canadian full back Scott Stewart which handed Fiji a try late in the first-half to help them take a 22-16 lead at half-time.
Stewart, winning his 53rd cap, went to catch a Fijian chip and completely missed the ball allowing Fero Lasagavibau to go clear, though he was held back by his shirt he still touched down - however, referee Ed Morrison had already awarded a penalty try.
The Fijians capitalised on this sudden swing by scoring another as centre Viliame Satala swooped to touch down under the posts and suddenly Canada found themselves on the rack.
The Canadians had taken the lead five minutes into the match through a penalty try after Stewart was blatantly obstructed after chipping ahead. Gareth Rees extended the lead but the ever resourceful Fijians hit back with a try.
Satala went over after Fiji opted to run a penalty just five metres out from the Canadian line.
Fiji should have scored another one minutes later after the 27-year-old Satala burst through the Canadian midfield but with a man outside him on the overlap he wasted it by chipping ahead - Stewart cleared it into touch.
Rees landed another penalty to give the Canadians some breathing space and then dropped a goal.
Nicky Little added to the lead with a sweetly taken drop goal shortly after half-time. "We came here to win three matches and we've done two thirds of the job," said Fijian coach Brad Johnstone .
"However, our main target was to beat the French.
"That doesn't mean just because we have been more impressive in
beating both Namibia and Canada that we should be favourites . . . France are and we've never beaten them yet," he added.
However there was no denying that Johnstone's overall appreciation of the French so far in this competition suggested his side could spring the one surprise in the group stages by beating 'Les Tricolores'.
"They've won two in a row now so they're getting back that long lost feeling of what its like . . . must be nice for them!" he said.
"Well they weren't very good against Namibia on Friday but that wasn't their number one side so I've been told," he said - to raised eyebrows and laughter from the French press corps.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/irishtimes/YVIRIOZQ35EWRPZXR27KGMO6YU.png)