Yukon MLA Annie Blake opens up about her path toward recovery [Video]

Last June, Yukon MLA Annie Blake issued a public statement describing her struggles with substance abuse and announcing that she was taking a leave of absence from her job as MLA to focus on her own health and well-being.

She enrolled in a treatment program outside of the territory, and by the fall she was back at work in the Legislative Assembly.

“It was important for me to just be honest,” said Blake. 

“I still believe that no matter what I go through in life, the people I represent deserve to know what’s going on in my life.”

Blake was elected as NDP MLA for Vuntut Gwitchin in Old Crow, her home community and Yukon’s northernmost electoral district, in 2021 after spending several years working in health care and wellness. 

Her own wellness, however, took a toll over the last year after the death of her sister.

Blake, 43, said the political pressure as well as the grief became too much to handle and she relapsed …