Rock, Allan Michael, 1947- : Allan Michael Rock was born August 30, 1947, to James Thomas Rock and Anne (born Torley) Rock in Ottawa, Ontario, where he was raised. He was educated at the University of Ottawa, where he received a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in 1968 and a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) in 1971.
Allan Rock served as president of the Student Federation of the University of Ottawa between 1969 and 1970. During that period, Rock invited John Lennon and Yoko Ono in Ottawa for a "world peace conference" while they were staging their famous bed-in protest in Montreal. Lennon and Ono agreed to participate to that conference, which happened in June 1969.
After graduating from law school, Allan Rock began his career as a trial lawyer, which he did from 1973 to 1993 in civil, commercial and administration litigation at Fasken & Calvin in Toronto, first as an associate and later on as a partner.
In 1992, Rock was chosen as treasurer of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC). As head of the law society, he was active in fighting for full funding for Ontario's legal aid system and ensuring equal access to the legal profession for women, Indigenous people and visible minorities. He also began a complete overhaul of the rules of conduct for lawyers.
His political career began in 1993 when he was elected as MP for the Liberal Party of Canada in the riding of Etobicoke Centre, in which he was re-elected in 1997, 2000 and 2003. He immediately assumed the portfolio of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada under prime minister Jean Chrétien. During his appointment, significant changes were made to the Criminal Code of Canada and the Canadian Human Rights Act, including the modernization of Canada's sentencing regime, strict gun control and anti-gang provisions. Allan Rock also tabled amendments to the Young Offenders Act introducing tougher sentencing guidelines as part of his work overseeing the first major overhaul of the Criminal Code since 1985. Related to gun control, he proposed the mandatory registration of firearms and a ban on certain military and paramilitary weapons. Finally, he reaffirmed his intention to tackle the controversial issue of amending the Canadian Human Rights Act to prohibit discrimination in areas of federal jurisdiction based upon sexual orientation. Moreover, during the 1995 referendum in Quebec, Allan Rock, as minister of Justice, played a leading role regarding the legal aspect of the referendum on behalf of the federal government.
Following the 1997 Federal election in June, he was appointed Minister of Health, a position he held until January 2002. He was responsible for the Canada Health Act, the foundation of Canada's public health care system, as well as creating the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and doubling the annual health research funding in Canada. Allan Rock also brought important changes regarding national funding for HIV/AIDS, tobacco laws and the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes.
In January 2002, he became Minister of Industry, and introduced Canada's Innovation Strategy aimed at spurring the nation's productivity and competitiveness. He was responsible for Canada's three granting councils and the creation of legislation to promote research in the social sciences and humanities.
After the announcement of Jean Chrétien's retirement in August 2002, Allan Rock initially declared he would run in the leadership race in the Liberal Party of Canada. However, Rock quickly dropped out of the leadership race and announced his support to Paul Martin. In December 2003, he resigned his seat from the House of Commons in order to serve as Canada's ambassador to the UN until June 2006. During his time as ambassador, Rock was an ardent advocate of human rights, human security, and reforming the UN.
Following his public service as MP, Minister and Canada's ambassador to the UN, Allan Rock resumed his legal career in Windsor, Ontario at Sutts & Strosberg LLP. In May 2008, he was appointed as the next president and vice chancellor of the University of Ottawa, a position he held until July 2016. From 2017 until 2022, Allan Rock was a full-time professor at the University of Ottawa's Faculty of Law and a visiting scholar at Harvard Law School, associated with its Programs on International Law and Armed Conflict.
Allan Rock is the recipient of the Order of Ottawa (2016), the Order of Ontario (2018) and the Order of Canada (2020). He is married to Deborah Hanscom and they have four children.
