The former fisheries minister announced Wednesday that he was back at work after 52 days in a rehabilitation facility. He was struggling through “deeply personal and private issues” and turned to the bottle to cope, he told constituents and media in his first public appearance since his abrupt resignation from cabinet and the Liberal caucus.

OTTAWA — Former Liberal cabinet minister Hunter Tootoo is not being welcomed back into the Liberal caucus after his stint in rehab, The Huffington Post Canada has learned.

Hunter Tootoo answers a question during question period in May 2015. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

“As you know, alcohol is often a coping mechanism for trauma,” he said, noting that trauma is far too common in indigenous communities.

“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.”

In an interview with HuffPost, Tootoo said drinking was his only problem.

“That was the extent of my addiction,” he said. “Just alcohol, that was my drug of choice, if you want to call it that.”

“It has been a very difficult journey for me,” he added. “I recognized I was going down a path that I didn’t want to go on, and that I needed help and that’s what I decided to do.”

“I knew that I needed to focus all my energy and my attention on my healing process and that’s what I chose to do.”

The Prime Minister’s Office, as it has for the past two months, refused to offer any explanation for Tootoo’s exit from caucus

“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,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s press secretary Cameron Ahmad wrote in an email.

Tootoo’s decision to step down from cabinet and leave the caucus was his choice alone, the MP repeated on Wednesday. No incident in particular had led to his decision, he said.

“I knew that I needed to focus all my energy and my attention on my healing process and that’s what I chose to do.”

Tootoo left the Liberals on May 31 and two days later, he checked himself into a rehab facility “somewhere in Canada.”

“For privacy reasons, I am not going to divulge where I went but it was a very good program and I can’t thank the staff [enough] that I worked with as well as other individuals that were there. They were a tremendous inspiration for me and helped me through this process,” he said.

Focus on MP duties

Government House Leader Dominic LeBlanc, who took over Tootoo's cabinet responsibilities, is expected to stay in the Fisheries portfolio while a new minister will take over the House leader portfolio.

Tootoo wouldn’t say whether he had asked to return to the Liberal team, but he told HuffPost he would look into it this fall when he returns to Ottawa.

“My focus right now is doing my job as the MP for Nunavut and reconnecting with my constituents.”