An odd, perhaps revealing comment about the government’s as-yet secret position on asbestos exports:

On the eve of a conference to decide whether to label the substance as a hazardous material under the United Nations’ Rotterdam Convention, a spokeswoman for Industry Minister Christian Paradis said this isn’t the time to tell Canadians what Canada’s position actually is.

“There are times when it’s time to disclose it and there are times when it’s not the time, and now it’s not the time,” Pascale Boulay said Friday. “Canada knows what its position is.”

Canadians don’t know but “Canada” does? Try to fathom the mindset that created that one.