Steward of the Crown, Moore - “Is it my job to to be totally on-top of my Dept's files and to be fully prepared for impromptu media attacks? I don’t think so,”

prompted by :

Andrew Coyne: James Moore’s poverty comment was ill-phrased, but, by and large, true

National Post December 18, 2013 8:48 PM ET

EXCERPT ....

“Of course nobody wants kids to go to school hungry… We want to make sure that kids go to school full-bellied… Empowering families with more power and resources so that they can feed their own children is, I think, a good thing.”

Mind you, those may not have been the statements you read. What you would be more likely to have seen quoted, from a scrum with a Vancouver radio reporter, would be: “Is it my job to feed my neighbour’s child? I don’t think so,” or “is that always the government’s job to be there to serve people their breakfast?” The story appeared on the radio station’s website under the headline “Federal minister says child poverty not Ottawa’s problem.”

snip....

"The statements were part of a long, rambling answer which the minister probably regrets giving. He had been asked — challenged, might be better: “Child poverty in B.C. is at an all-time high. What does the federal government plan to do about that?” The question, it is evident from the tape, flummoxed him, and it’s not hard to see why."

EXCERPT end

" flummoxed him" . The fact that he fumbled the answer, shows his lack of "complete & in the moment" grasp of his dept. 
This is not uncommon today -- they read pre-prepped speeches (and even questions) at Pressers, Meetings, and in the House. Abominable! Stop this charade of "speaking/talking points"! 

Solution Part 1- institute an all-party ban on (at least Opposition and maybe the G-of-Day will be humiliated into following) "reading" in the Houses of our One Parliament (s.17) - they used to jeer when some-newbie "read" his/her notes in the Assemblies. 

Solution Part 2 --Stop the farce of Cab Mins being "Heads" of departments - the Deputy Min, ADM and Asst ADMs are the REAL bosses (these behind-the-scenes Privy Council Office jobs ARE political appointments too) AND it is these gnomes who draft the points/speeches (vetted by Firewall Steve before uttering is permitted). 

Let the Cabinet be a real Board of Directors - no agendas to promote/ jockey for approval, no favours to repay, no butts to kiss upstairs (or behind the stairs) ---let these "Privy Councillors" judge and scrutinize ALL policies, programs, vote-buying-schemes that come across the Cabinet Table WITHOUT prejudice, pandering or promise .... but according to their pre-set "principles" of Stewardship on behalf of trhe Crown (and thru it, on behalf of the Cdn resident, taxpaying citizens) 

Oh yes, we all know there is an inner-inner sanctum of Priorities & Planning (or some-such name) that actually initiates and decides .... but if we're going to continue the anti-BNA/Constitutional charade of MP's (part of the penultimate ie subservient Legislative power) being sworn into the Privy Council (part of Executive Power) ...let them ACT as "deciders", not just 50-ft nobody-trained seals ..... IN LIMOS.