Tootoo returns to work after addiction treatment
Former cabinet minister faces uncertain future with Liberals after 52 days in rehabilitation
OTTAWA— Independent MP Hunter Tootoo, who quit the Liberal cabinet in May to deal with alcohol addiction, has returned to work, but the Liberal party appears in no rush to welcome him back.
The MP for Nunavut not only quit his cabinet post as fisheries minister, but took the unusual step of leaving the Liberal caucus as well.
After spending 52 days in rehabilitation, Tootoo met with constituents in Iqaluit on Wednesday, thanking all those who supported him during his ordeal, including community members and fellow MPs.
“I am extremely grateful for the patience you have granted me during my healing,” Tootoo said.
“You believed in me even when I didn’t believe in myself. Those words of encouragement made all the difference in my recovery,” he said, according to a prepared text of his remarks. He said he has endured a “difficult journey.
“There are some deeply personal and private issues that have haunted me,” Tootoo said. “Unfortunately, alcohol is often a coping mechanism for trauma, and that trauma is far too common in our communities. I have personally been affected by those impacts.”
Tootoo was named to cabinet by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last November, becoming the first northern minister of fisheries and oceans.
His abrupt departure at the end of May made him the first of Trudeau’s cabinet ministers to quit their post.
Tootoo said Wednesday that it was his own decision to step away from his political responsibilities so he could focus on getting healthy. He said he continues his treatment with Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
“I’m much stronger now. I’m focused, healthy and ready to move forward,” Tootoo said. “I know I let people down — my family, friends and the people of this riding — and myself. I have work to do to regain their trust and respect. That work begins now.”
He said he respects Trudeau and believes in the Liberal government.
At the time Tootoo quit cabinet Trudeau offered little comment, saying only that the Nunavut MP had resigned to seek treatment for “addiction issues.
“This was his own choice after a very difficult situation,” Trudeau said. “We’ll have nothing further to say on this matter.” Those comments were in sharp contrast to the support the prime minister had offered Seamus O’Regan, another Liberal MP who took time in January to pursue what he called an “alcohol-free lifestyle.” O’Regan remained in the Liberal caucus.
But despite Tootoo’s Wednesday declaration that he was back on the job, it’s not clear when he will be back in the Liberal caucus, if ever.
“We wish Mr. Tootoo well as he resumes his parliamentary functions as MP for Nunavut. His status with regard to the Liberal caucus remains unchanged,” Cameron Ahmad, a press secretary for Trudeau, said in an email Wednesday.
An official in Tootoo’s office said that the MP would address the question of returning to caucus in the fall, but said for now the priority was on the riding and his constituents.