Hunter Tootoo's resignation means loss of influence for Nunavut, analyst says

It's been two weeks since Nunavut MP Hunter Tootoo resigned as a cabinet minister and stepped away from the Liberal caucus.

At the time, Tootoo released a statement saying he's seeking treatment for addiction issues and requested privacy. 

The Liberals confirm he is still a member of the party but he's sitting as an independent in Parliament.

That move is drawing criticism from former Nunavut politician Manitok Thompson, who was a former cabinet minister in Nunavut's legislative assembly and ran for Nunavut MP as an independent in 2004.

She said the biggest loss with Hunter Tootoo's recent announcement is that there's no voice for the territory within the Liberal party.

"The Nunavut territory, the Inuit wanted a Liberal because they wanted some power in Parliament representing Inuit.

"We were sitting right behind Justin Trudeau. We had a very good opportunity to voice the opinions and all the concerns of Nunavut right to the Prime Minister's Office. We had a very good seat and all of a sudden, we're now sitting in the back bench and we've become, really, a nobody."

Thompson is calling on Tootoo to resign as a member of Parliament.

Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto, said the biggest loss for Nunavut is not the fact Tootoo has stepped down from caucus but that he's no longer a cabinet minister.

"Usually a cabinet minister brings a lot of perspective about that particular constituency and brings that perspective at a level which is taken much more seriously," he said.

There's no word when Tootoo will return to work.