Basics of leverage.
V brakes combine high MA, demand lots of cable pull for a small motion of pads to rim.
so the lever has to have a much lower MA to provide it.
cantilever brakes, particularly, the L type 'high profile' are lower MA,
so the corresponding brake lever can be a higher MA.
the V brakes have to be set up with a dime's thickness of rim clearance,
or less, so when wheel true goes off optimum, the brakes drag,
then people loosen the brake adjustment to not drag,
then have almost no brakes .. the lever may hit the bars first.
Whereas a cantilever brakepad can sit, a couple nickels stacked,
away from the rim,
so minor imperfections of wheel truing are less of an issue.