The voters should know
Few of us can really appreciate how mortifying it must be for a public official to admit that he or she has lost control of their life. Regular citizens are, at the very least, guaranteed a semblance of privacy if and when they find themselves face down on the bathroom floor. But politicians know they have millions of pairs of eyes burning in the back of their heads as they press their cheeks to the tile, with dozens of conversations swirling over what to put in the press release and when to make the announcement.
That’s not to say that such matters should be off- limits for public discussion — only that we should probably reserve some compassion while engaging in it. Indeed, until such time that our government is taken over by robots (wait for it), the fallible humans who attempt to run the country will continue to make mistakes, as we all do.
That understanding does not — or should not — come at the expense of an explanation, however, which is something that many in the federal electoral district of Nunavut are still waiting for from MP Hunter Tootoo. Back in May, Tootoo abruptly announced that he was leaving both his cabinet post as fisheries minister and the Liberal caucus to seek treatment for alcohol addiction. Tootoo explained that his decision was one of not wanting to “distract from the important work of (his) colleagues” and asked for privacy while he completed his treatment.
Tootoo returned to his office this week, though he offered few further details as to what sparked his sudden departure. “The decision to step away was my own. I knew that I needed to devote all of my energy and attention into getting healthy,” he said, addressing speculation that he had been kicked out of the Liberal caucus. He will now resume serving his constituents in Nunavut, but as an independent MP, instead of a Liberal.
Tootoo’s unexpected leave was rather peculiar from the start: he wasn’t offered the same effusive praise and kind words from his colleagues — including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — as was Newfoundland MP Seamus O’Regan when he announced a few months ago that he, too, would be seeking treatment for alcohol addiction. O’Regan was also welcomed back into the Liberal caucus upon his return, whereas Tootoo’s “status with regard to the Liberal caucus remains unchanged,” according to a recent statement from the Prime Minister’s Office. Neither Trudeau nor Tootoo has addressed the discrepancy.
The lack of information has naturally proven fertile ground for rumours, including one published by The Globe and Mail Thursday suggesting that Tootoo had an inappropriate sexual relationship with a junior staffer. When asked by reporters from the paper about the allegations, he skirted the specifics, saying: “There’s deeply personal and private issues that have haunted me. And I just saw myself going down a road I didn’t want to go on, and I knew I needed to be healthy again, and that’s why I chose to seek help and go to treatment.”
There will surely be those who will argue that the issue should be left alone: that Tootoo admitted he had a problem and sought professional help, and that he should now be granted this small degree of privacy. Indeed, recognizing how enormously difficult it must have been for him to come forward, there’s a general disinclination to press the situation further.
However, when a politician submits his name to the ballot, he does so with the understanding that he is forfeiting at least some of the personal space he would have otherwise enjoyed as a private citizen. The moment he is elected, his personal struggles are no longer entirely personal, simply because of the fact that he is entrusted to make decisions on behalf of the people who voted for him. And if his judgment is compromised in some way, the citizens he represents have a right to know.
Tootoo, in this case, is still an MP: he will sit, vote and speak on behalf of the people of Nunavut in the House of Commons. It is not unreasonable that those people be informed of the actions that disqualified him from membership in the party, but not membership of the House.
The Liberal party itself might likewise be content move on from here, but it cannot absolve itself of responsibility merely by severing ties with Tootoo. After all, its members helped him campaign, they helped him get elected and they gave him a spot in its federal cabinet; indeed, Nunavut voters may have voted for the party as much as for the individual. The Liberals also owe voters an explanation before picking up and moving out of the riding.