LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON
Nahendeh MLA Kevin Menicoche said he is working to restore the confidence that his constituents had in him following an episode of excessive drinking.
Menicoche said he's had a variety of responses from constituents since it became public that he missed two days of meetings in Inuvik due to drinking.
"I've had both ends of the spectrum," he said, speaking from his constituency office in Fort Simpson on April 22.
Some people have been very upset while others have commended me for taking quick action and being public about it, said Menicoche.
Menicoche missed chairing committee meetings on April 12 and 13. All non-cabinet MLAs were scheduled to be in Inuvik for a series of retreat-style committee meetings.
Menicoche subsequently resigned from his position as the chair of the legislative assembly's Standing Committee on Priorities and Planning. Menicoche also asked the legislative assembly to bill him for any additional cost that may have been incurred because of his absence.
As part of being accountable to his constituents and the people who voted for him, Menicoche said he chose to admit right away what had happened in Inuvik rather than remain silent.
Menicoche issued an apology on April 17 to his constituents for his "recent lack of judgment and behaviour."
"It's fully mine and I take full responsibility for it," Menicoche said about his actions.
Menicoche said his difficulties with alcohol consumption have been building up over the past year. He said he now more fully understands how alcohol abuse progresses.
"It sort of sneaks up on you," he said.
You get to a point where you start to drink excessively even when you don't plan to, he said. Menicoche said he had been using alcohol at home, but recently drank while on a trip to Inuvik and thought he would stop at two or three beers, but that didn't happen.
Menicoche said he has certainly learned from this incident and will be moving forward. He is researching treatment options available to him through a members' assistance program. Menicoche said he doesn't want alcohol use to further cloud the good work he has being doing at the assembly and the time he has left on his term.
With the assembly on a break for two weeks, Menicoche is in Fort Simpson where he said he will be available to constituents in his office. The MLA is also planning his spring constituency meeting tour for May to prepare him for the next sitting of the assembly which is scheduled for May 29 to June 6.
– with files from Laura Busch
