Is it possible that the latest revision to the ITA of Canada has changed 'persons resident in Canada to: 'free will men, male and female, living on the land commonly called Canada'
No but I don't see any distinction between the wording as it stands and the changes you are contemplating. Your version would work fine as well assuming that you had a definition for "free will man" that included all living humans in Canada. But just because you can think of an alternate wording or alternate definitions, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with the current definition.
And, 'persons resident in Canada' ? Would that not mean 'an inanimate 'thing' sitting somewhere,
No, a person is a living human being. Not an inanimate thing. This should be self evident, but if not I suggest reading one of the many court decisions posted in this thread where the court confirms this fact.
and 'in Canada' means within something, like a vessel, and not ON the land.
No, it means on the land. Within the boundaries of Canadian territory. I don't really understand what the argument is here because common usage of the English language would disagree with you.
For instance, look at the first definition for the word "in" that is offered by dictionary.com.
in /ɪn/ Show Spelled [in] Show IPA preposition, adverb, adjective, noun, verb, inned, in·ning.
–preposition
1. (used to indicate inclusion within space, a place, or limits): walking in the park.
It would be clear to anyone relaying on accepted English language conventions that "in Canada" means "within the limits of the place called Canada."
[Emphasis by bold and size is mine.]
Thank you for pointing that out. That was very courteous of you to avoid possible confusion.

