Nunavut MP Tootoo can still be heard, even as independent: former MP

Hunter Tootoo, seen here at the Nunatsiaq News office in March, has resigned from cabinet as fisheries minister and also left the Liberal caucus. (PHOTO BY THOMAS ROHNER)

Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo’s constituency office in Iqaluit — which doesn’t even have an official sign yet — was locked and unoccupied June 1. Tootoo unexpectedly resigned from cabinet, and from the Liberal caucus, May 31. (PHOTO BY LISA GREGOIRE)

Updated June 1 at 2:40 p.m.

The man who once represented Nunavut in Ottawa, and who ran against Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo in the last election, says it was a shock to hear of Tootoo’s resignation from the Liberal cabinet and caucus May 31.

But if Tootoo can get his act together, the Nunavut MP can still be a voice for his constituents, even as an independent member of Parliament, said Jack Anawak.

“You can ably represent the constituency you are from by making sure you keep your contacts, you keep working hard towards doing the best you can for Nunavut,” Anawak said.

“It just means you don’t have a seat at cabinet anymore and you don’t have a caucus to talk to so your voice might not be as loud, but it all depends on how you approach the situation.”

Tootoo, who was given the fisheries and Coast Guard portfolio after winning his seat from the Tories in the October 2015 federal election and then abruptly resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus May 31, has said little publicly about his decision, asking for privacy.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that Tootoo will “seek treatment for addiction issues.”

He told media June 1 that, “this is his [Tootoo’s] own choice after a very difficult situation. We will have nothing further to say on this matter.”

Premier Peter Taptuna rose in the Nunavut legislature June 1 to express support for the Nunavut MP.

“I would like to extend my support to Mr. Hunter Tootoo, MP of Nunavut. As of last night he resigned from Canada’s cabinet and the Liberal caucus. We are supportive in his move to take time to seek treatment for addictions,” Taptuna said.

“He has demonstrated courage and strength to make this decision. He has worked hard, and will work hard, for Nunavut. Mr. Speaker, and members of the legislative assembly, please join me to extend your support to Mr. Tootoo and his family as he takes time to heal.”

Anawak, who has struggled with his own addictions as well, said parliamentary duties, especially as a cabinet minister, can be stressful and it’s understandable that someone might be overwhelmed by the work and turn to unhealthy ways of coping.

“Becoming a member of Parliament, and a member of cabinet, it’s a very seductive environment. You get invited to all sorts of places. Everybody wants your time. If you don’t have your feet planted firmly on the ground, something’s going to go wrong,” Anawak said.

“It’s a sad case when you have to come to this point,” he added. “But you can be a lone voice and still get attention of the people who need to hear you.”

Anawak said the lone voice of an independent MP will not be as loud or as widely heard but Tootoo, if he remains in the House of Commons, can still be effective in raising issues for his constituents.

And Anawak expects that other MPs and ministers will continue to raise issues relevant to Nunavut including Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister Carolyn Bennett who Anawak said well understands Nunavut’s needs.

“And all the issues we talked about during the campaign will not be forgotten by the NDP who are very strong on food security and social issues,” said Anawak, who ran for the New Democrats in October 2015.

“So it’s a concern but I’m sure that members of Parliament from the northern parts of Canada will take up the challenge of making sure that Nunavut is ably represented with our member of Parliament.”

Sally Luttmer, Tootoo’s mother, said she has been in contact with her son but declined to say how he is doing or where he is.

“We stand behind him,” Luttmer said, from Calgary. “I am more proud of him for taking this step than I was when he was named minister.

“He’s doing what he needs to do,” she added. “He’s asked for privacy and I wish that people would respect that.”

Jordin Tootoo, the New Jersey Devils right winger and Hunter Tootoo’s cousin, tweeted best wishes to Hunter on June 1.

It takes blood sweat and tears to stand up and ask for help from a real man. @HunterTootoo admitting is the 1st step. You got this cuz.

— Jordin Tootoo (@Jtootoo22) June 1, 2016

Jordin Tootoo is no stranger to addiction and treatment.

In January 2011, the hockey player stepped away from the Nashville Predators and checked himself into a rehab clinic in Los Angeles for alcohol abuse.

Anawak wished Tootoo well in his efforts to get healthy again.

“I hope that after treatment, he comes out in a better frame of mind and in better shape and does the job he was elected to do.”

Many Nunatsiaq News commenters and those on social media have been expressing a mixture of support for Tootoo’s decision to seek help and disappointment that they have lost a strong voice for Nunavut at the Liberal cabinet table.

A man from Nunavik said on social media this morning that his region’s hopes to see beluga quotas lifted were dashed by Tootoo’s departure from the fisheries file. Those involved in wildlife management in Nunavik felt that as an Inuk and Aboriginal, Tootoo would be have been supportive of their subsistence harvest needs.

The Nunavut Federal Liberal Association, whose volunteers worked tirelessly to get Tootoo elected in October, declined to comment on Tootoo’s unexpected departure and referred all calls to the Liberal Party of Canada.

Braeden Caley, senior communications officer for the Liberal Party, referred Nunatsiaq News to recent statements from the PM and offered no further comment.

With files from Steve Ducharme and Sarah Rogers