THROUGH POT HAZE, ROCK STANDS SOLID

You almost literally never hear Allan Rock's name around here except
in the context of an eventual Liberal leadership campaign. The
assumption is that the guy spends all his time scheming to become
prime minister. So it was a bit of a surprise to watch Mr. Rock
defend his department's spending estimates before the health committee
yesterday, and to see how much he obviously enjoys being the health
minister.

MPs spend an hour and a quarter grilling Mr. Rock on the fine points
of health policy. He put on a good show: relaxed, bantering, speaking
at length without glancing at his briefing books, defering to his
deputy minister - the semi-legendary David Dodge - only once. And at
no point during those 75 minutes did a potentially career-destroying
crisis break out, which for Mr. Rock must set some kind of record.

You don't have to watch Parliament for very long before simple
competence - a familiarity with policy and organizations, the ability
to form grammatical sentences in English or French-begins to dazzle.
Mr. Rock was really only demonstrating that the department he's led
for two years doesn't baffle him, but I found this news absurdly reassuring.

He also brought real news with him, as ministers usually do when they
go before committee. The stentorian herky-jerky of Question Period
often blocks real understanding of what's going on inside government;
the relaxed mood at committee is more illuminating. So now we know
tht Mr.Rock is preparing to stockpile marijuana.

"We're looking at the possibility of constituting a stock of marijuana
here in Canada for medicinal purposes." he told MPs. "It's not all
worked out, but we're still working on it."

The mind reels. Civil servants showing up extra-early for work at the
PotCan greenhjouses in Tunney's Pasture, west of Parliament. Rigorous
testing procedures. Signs on the walls: "No giggling! Snacks must be
shared with your supervisor."

Sorry, sorry, this is serious business. Mr. Rock was responding to
questions from Bernard Bigras, the young Bloc MP who's made medicinal
pot a personal crusade. Mr.Bigras (rosemont) wanted to know whether
the plants would be imported or domestic? Domestic, he told reporters
later. "I think we're up to it as a nation, don't you?

(And since I'm opening up paraentheses, I should note that a reporter
asked Mr.Rock still later whether he'd ever smoked marijuana. The
former University of Ottawa student president invoked his right
against self-incriminatin, but added: "I've never smoked marijuana -
for medicinal purposes.")

Back to the committee meeting. Mr.Rock also revealed that he'll be
pushing for a biggish cash commitment in the field of
environment-related health problems. "That'll be the subject of my
next specific request from my cabinet colleagues for reinvestment in
Health Canada."

And he sang such a love song to three programs for children-prenatal
nutrition, aboriginal head-start and the Community Action Program for
Children-that nobody should be surprised if spending on those programs
is ramped up radically and soon.

"They're really quite terrific," the minister said. "They are very
effective. Our evaluations have been very positive, and I think they
have a long-term future...and I would like to see, in the years to
come, a bigger investment in these initiatives for children... They
work. They don't cause any constitutional friction. In fact, there
are more CAPC and prnatal projects in Quebec thatn in any other
province. We have a written protocol with the ministers,
provincially. Nobody's talking constitution or quarrelling about
jurisdiction; we're just focusing on the needs of children. I think
we need to build on these successes, do more of it."

So. A peek at the future, through a haze of government-approved pot
smoke. And a glimpse of a minister who didn't seem to be teetering on
the brink of any precipices. A refreshing change, for him probably
even more than for us.