It's a little different here, because MSA is operational -- we have
an altitude we can descend to as soon as we're within 25 nm.

We're not talking about MSAs, we're talking about the 10 nm ring
around the approach that signifies that the included area is to scale.
There is no associated altitude with this ring, so some pilots assume
that it means the PT altitude. It doesn't.

The MSA is a 25 nm ring and it will provide obstacle protection; the
10 nm ring doesn't do that.

I don't know what Canadian charts look like.

(Note that you snipped out the part where I said I'd call and check
what they actually wanted.)

My point is that it doesn't matter what they wanted.

We had a local approach where we often got vectored to a point on the
extended centerline of the final approach course, but outside the
point where the approach started. The published altitude was 2,000
feet, but we were vectored at 2,500. ATC *wanted* us to descend
immediately on intercepting the localizer, but the approach simply did
not authorize that.

If ATC wanted us at 2,000, then it was their responsibility to assign
that altitude, because only then are they providing obstacle
protection. If a pilot allows himself to be intimidated down to an
unpublished altitude, then there is no obstacle protection being
provided by anyone, and the pilot is in violation of Part 97.