The issue with licenses, ship's station licenses and radio operator's licenses, is a matter of international treaties. If you can accept the premise that every country has the right to regulate it's airwaves as it sees fit for itself, then when entering a foreign country, even our neighbors to the north and south, we need to be in compliance with their laws and regulations. Whether you agree with the particular regulation or not, the regulation to have both a ship's station license and a restricted radio operators license is the regulation you have to follow.
Whether the authorities choose to enforce a particular regulation is another matter. Last week, I went through a bunch of speed traps at 10-15 mph over the limit. The state police chose not to strictly enforce the rules.
Why get a ship's license and operator's license? Two big reasons
1. In the event you run into a cranky official while crossing the border, there is one less thing for the uniform to be cranky about.
2. The free MMSI number that is provided to recreational boaters in the US is not valid outside of US waters. If you are out of range of the USCG Radios, then panic button on the VHF is not nearly as valuable as vessel information will not be available.
As for the cost, the upfront costs seem high, but if you think about it, the operators license is for your lifetime and the station license is for 10 years. That's the equivalent of one medium coffee a month at Dunkin' Donuts or one 12 pack of craft beer a year. A very small price to pay to be in compliance with the regulations and to avoid giving a uniform a reason to hassle you.