"they are not entitled to employer-funded benefit and pension plans (the latter of which, interestingly, are not taxable to employees)"
You are not your company.  If it makes sense for you to be an employee of your company and take an employer funded benefit and pension plan, there is absolutely nothing stopping your company from setting up a plan. It might even be a better avenue to take for both you and your company than keeping passive investments in the company.
The same amount of tax goes to the CRA if you are an employee and take a salary that you pay tax on, which is an expense for your company, or if you take a dividend, which the company pays tax on and you also pay tax on.
If you go bankrupt, your employees will also likely be out of a job, and they won't be the first in line to receive any monies owed.