The act is designed in such a way, and EPOs are designed in such a way, that there are checks and balances. When an individual comes in to file or prepare an EPO, they sit down with people who have been trained on what an EPO is and how it’s supposed to be filled out. Those individuals, through the training – and I have confirmed this with the department – are required to explain to the individual the ramifications of lies, which the act does cover as well. The act says if you lie and you’re charged, you can receive jail time or fines. There are checks and balances in place, and at the end of the day, the act didn’t create the victims, it’s the person who provided false information or lied, and those individuals can be charged under the Criminal Code as well.
The system is designed to encourage people not to lie, but we can’t stop people from lying. There will always be people who abuse systems. In this case, the case that happened earlier, that did in fact happen, and the person was charged and convicted.
But the program is important. It provides value. It needs to continue and we support it. Thank you.