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OTTAWA — New Democrat MP Romeo Saganash is taking sick leave to deal with alcohol dependence after being deemed too drunk to fly on an Air Canada Jazz flight last week.

Saganash says he needs medical help to overcome his drinking problem and has therefore asked his leader, Tom Mulcair, to grant him sick leave.

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Saganash was removed Friday from an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal to Val-d’Or, Que., after the flight crew determined he was too intoxicated to fly.

Saganash, a longtime leader in the Cree community of northern Quebec, says there’s no excuse for the incident but suggests in a statement that his alcohol problem stems back to his time in residential school.

He also says he was “greatly affected” by the death of NDP leader Jack Layton and was worn out by his subsequent, short-lived campaign to succeed Layton.

Saganash withdrew early from the NDP leadership contest, citing lack of financial support and family health issues.