It is an honour to present the Canada Energy Regulator’s inaugural Annual Report. It has been nearly one year since the legislation that established the Canada Energy Regulator (CER), the country’s new federal energy regulatory body, came into force.

The regulation of energy infrastructure in Canada reached a significant milestone in 2019, with the creation of the Canada Energy Regulator. The CER is a new organization that takes a modern approach to energy regulation. I am honoured to provide this forward to the Canada Energy Regulator’s 2019-20 Annual Report.

The Canadian Energy Regulator Act, which was passed by Parliament in the summer of 2019, established the Canada Energy Regulator as the country’s new federal energy regulator.

As the 2019-20 fiscal year drew to a close, the COVID-19 pandemic began to have impacts throughout the world. The response to the pandemic had an effect on the work of the CER, as nearly all of its staff transitioned from working at the organization’s head office and three Regional Offices to working from home all in a period of just a few days.

Energy continues to play a fundamental role in the lives of all Canadians. From health care to agriculture to the clothes we wear, every product and service in our country requires energy.

The CER identifies areas in which it strategically focuses program activities. These Focus Areas extend beyond the outcomes of any one program. They require cross organizational focus and leadership to drive a systematic shift in the way the CER works.

What does the future hold for the Canada Energy Regulator? Over the course of 2020-21, the Board of Directors will continue to execute upon its oversight role and further that work that began in the inaugural year of the Canada Energy Regulator, which includes: overseeing the onboarding of a new Chief Executive Officer; establishing an Indigenous Advisory Committee; and completing a three-year planning exercise to set the strategic direction of the organization and truly deliver on the intent of the CER Act.