V-brakes are indeed technically a form of cantilever brakes but current terminology doesn't call them the same thing. You have V-brakes, not cantilevers, as far as any bike mechanic or poster here is concerned and they don't use the same brake levers or cable pull as either cantilevers or road calipers.

Again, you can:

1. Use Travel Agents with your current V-brakes which to let you use brifters. This is a relatively low cost change and Travel Agents work well. They aren't beautiful but they aren't that unsightly either.

2. Change your V-brakes for "real" cantilever brakes and use brifters without the Travel Agents but, as RG noted, there will be some recabling issues and a couple of cable hangers will have to be added. Cantilevers can be a bit tricky to set up and center properly.

3. Install sidepull road-type caliper brakes with no adapters and no cabling issues. Effective but pretty expensive. They can, however, limit your choice of fenders and wide tires.

V-brakes have the most power and are easy to set up. Cantilevers are trickier to set up but newer ones aren't that bad and they have adequate power. Double pivot road calipers have good power and are easy to set up.

Your choice but no one type provides magic stopping power. They all work.