What we regulate: Energy in Canada
Energy plays a central role in all our lives. From the food we eat to the homes we live in to the clothes we wear, everything requires energy.
In 2019, the energy sector made up 10.2%, or $219 Billion, of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The energy sector directly employed 282,000 jobs of the national workforce and total employment - including indirect jobs - was estimated at 4.4% (or 832,500 jobs). Energy products made up 23% of Canada’s total exports and were valued at $134.3 billion.
The CER regulates over 73,000 km of pipeline, about 65% of the total length of all pipelines in Canada. If a pipeline system crosses provincial or international boundaries, it is regulated by the CER. If a pipeline system is contained within a province, it is generally under the jurisdiction of a provincial regulator.
The CER also regulates 85 operating international power lines that total 1,462 km in length. Those transmission lines transport power generated mostly from renewable sources.
Additionally, the CER regulates pipeline tolls and tariffs, energy exports and imports, oil and gas exploration and drilling in certain northern and offshore areas of Canada as well as offshore renewable energy.
Canada remains a land with immense natural resources - and that is a great advantage for Canadians - both today and for decades to come.