this isn't an example of poor readiness, in a broader sense. rather, it's an example of a government that wasn't interested in consulting the civil service, probably because it thought it knew better.
if it had consulted the existing white papers, many of which written during the chretien and martin years, it would have prevented itself from making a wide swath of the mistakes it made, and is continuing to make.
so, don't let them argue that they were caught off guard - they weren't. they just didn't bother to brief themselves; it's a breakdown in competency, not a breakdown in preparedness.