Marsi cho, Madam Speaker. Just going back to my Member's statement on illicit drugs, I wanted to specifically target those hard drugs, such as crack cocaine, cocaine, and fentanyl. I actually looked up some weight measurements for what a pinch of salt is. When you pick a pinch of salt and you are cooking with it, there are about 60 milligrams there. That is how heavy that is. To put things in perspective, I looked up the lethal dose for fentanyl, and that is 2 to 3 milligrams. That is not very much. These are the kinds of drugs that are killing our people. There is an opioid crisis going on in western Canada now, and we need to really start addressing this issue. Going back to my questions, my first question to the Minister of Justice, Madam Speaker, is: can the Minister share with us if his department is aware of any increase in the amount of drug-related crimes in the NWT since COVID-19 began compared to pre-COVID times? Thank you.
Thank you, Member. Minister of Justice.
Thank you, Madam Speaker. The RCMP monitor the calls they get and what type of calls they get. Unfortunately, I do not have the data right now to compare the pandemic times to the pre-pandemic time, but when I have that data, I am as interested as the Member to see what it says. Anecdotally, we have all heard that there has been an increase in illicit drug use across Canada. I think, last time I checked, there was just over $100 million in surpayments that made its way into the territory. Just that amount of money, I would assume that there would be an uptick in all sorts of different sales, including illicit drugs. Thank you, Madam Chair.
In my notes here, I have "Madam Speaker" underlined quite clearly so I don't make that mistake. Thank you to the Minister for that response. Like I said, we have got to get ahead of this. I agree with surpayments. I think his department, as well, needs to look at ways to make sure that the money gets to where it's needed because there are a lot of these payments that are meant for food, rent, and make sure we get those out to those areas and not get out to the bootleggers and out to these other drug dealers. That is what we want to see. My second question, Madam Speaker, is: can the Minister tell us what sort of antidrug initiatives are currently in place by the Department of Justice within the NWT?
The antidrug initiatives are across government. It's not just the Department of Justice, of course. There are things with the department of education, things that are taught in school. Health has proactive antidrug campaigns. In terms of the Department of Justice, we're part of the opioid task force along with the RCMP. We work closely to try to avoid, and we have been lucky so far, the type of opioid crisis that we have seen in the South. We are also partners in the GNWT's alcohol strategy. We have seen a lot of drug seizures over the last number of months. Every time you turn on the news, it seems like there is a significant drug seizure.
I just want to point out that we see those, and yet, they still keep coming. It's an enormous market. If we do not stop people from buying, they are just going to keep coming, no matter how many seizures you have. It's a demand issue. The RCMP are also working to work more within the community, so training and having better collaboration with communities. If they can become part of the community, you get that inside intelligence, and you are not just the RCMP officer; you are part of the community. There is also, of course, the gun and gangs strategy that is being funded by the federal government, and that is an ongoing program that, unfortunately, is relevant now, with organized crime in the territory.
Thank you again for that response. It's good to hear there are some initiatives in place. There are so many of our people with addictions who are susceptible, and we still have to keep fighting for them. My other question is: can the Minister explain whether or not there have been any changes regarding antidrug procedures, protocols, or initiatives within the NWT since the COVID-19 pandemic has begun?
Changes, not really changes over the past six months. However, as I mentioned, the gun and gangs strategy is under development, and I think that lessons learned during the pandemic will inform that.
Thank you, Minister. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
