MP’s father surprised by son’s ‘addictions’
Hunter Tootoo described as a fighter who will recover from issues sparking resignation
OTTAWA— The sudden exit of Hunter Tootoo, the first northern fisheries minister who quit Justin Trudeau’s cabinet and caucus to fight what he called his “addictions issues,” was sad and surprising news to his father, Batiste Tootoo.
In an interview with the Star Wednesday from Iqaluit, Nunavut, Tootoo’s father said he had no idea his son was struggling with any kind of addiction, whether it be to alcohol or any other substance. “I hope it’s for the best,” Tootoo said of his son’s decision to voluntarily step aside.
The morning after Tootoo’s departure from cabinet, the prime minister spoke briefly on his way into the weekly Liberal caucus meeting, only to confirm Tootoo “resigned to seek treatment for his addiction issues.”
“This was his own choice after a very difficult situation,” Trudeau said. “We’ll have nothing further to say on this matter.”
There was no indication of how long Tootoo would sit outside caucus or what triggered his decision to leave.
One thing was clear to the elder Tootoo: that his son is a fighter who will come back.
He said he didn’t know if his son had been struggling for a while, and was “very much” surprised by Tootoo’s declaration he needed treatment for “addiction issues.”
“He never talked to me about that,” said Batiste Tootoo. “I know he’ll pull out of it whatever it is, I know he’ll correct himself, whatever happened . . . because I know him and I know what he can do and what he’s capable of.”
Batiste Tootoo described his son as determined, saying, “He follows up” on what he says he’ll do.
He also said he was “very proud” of his son, who became the first northern minister of fisheries and oceans in the new Liberal government and was an example to many in the North.
“It means a lot (that he was made a minister) because he’s one of the northern people, and he’s an Inuk and that was a good deal, and he knows the people, eh?”
He said his son was in federal politics “because he wanted to help Inuit people and be somebody . . . that I’m proud of.”
Liberal caucus colleagues expressed surprise at the sudden resignation.
One longtime Liberal said he was unaware of any incident at the party convention in Winnipeg that might have led to it. A CTV report cited an unspecified incident at the convention last weekend that led Tootoo to quit.
Health Minister Jane Philpott said Tootoo has “asked for his privacy to be respected, and I will do so.”
Rona Ambrose, the Conservative interim leader, was sympathetic after Tootoo’s admission.
“I guess I would just say I hope he gets the help that he needs and gets healthy,” she said.
Perry Bellegarde, national chief of the Assembly of First Nations, said it’s important for the sake of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples that Tootoo gets the help he needs and returns to Ottawa ready to work.
“(It’s) a complete shock to a lot of people, but if a person needs help, I just encourage Hunter to go and seek that help and hopefully he’s welcome back to the table, because he’s done a lot of good work so far,” Bellegarde said Wednesday after a speech in Winnipeg.
“We would hope once he’s done his healing journey, he’s welcome back and he’s a strong force around that cabinet table. I wish him well on his healing journey.”
Speaking to reporters at Parliament Wednesday, Liberal whip Andrew Leslie refused to say when Tootoo might rejoin caucus.
“He’s a great person, and I’m very, very, pleased for him that he stepped forward in seeking medical attention,” Leslie said, before refusing to answer the question a second time.