2022–23 Annual Report of the Canada Energy Regulator – What the CER regulates: Energy in Canada
The CER works to keep energy moving in Canada while enforcing some of the strictest safety and environmental standards in the world.
In 2021, the direct energy sector made up 9.7 percent, or $180 billion, of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product.Footnote 2 The sector directly employed nearly 265,000 jobs in Canada, and its share of total employment, including indirect jobs, was estimated at 3.4 percent (or 634,600 jobs). The sector is estimated to directly employ about 15,000 Indigenous People who live off-reserve. In that same year, energy exports represented 32% of Canada’s goods exports, valued at $154.3 billion.
The CER regulates over 71,000 kilometres of pipeline in Canada.Footnote 3 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 86 operating international power lines that total 1,546 km in length, many of which transport power generated from renewable sources.
Additionally, the CER regulates pipeline tolls and tariffs, energy exports, natural gas imports, oil and gas exploration and drilling, and offshore renewable energy in certain northern and offshore areas of Canada.
The changing energy landscape – from increased involvement from Indigenous Peoples in regulatory oversight to a focus on increased energy security – has reinforced the importance and relevance of these priorities, and the spirit and intent of the CER’s priorities remain unchanged from 2021–22. The plans extend beyond the outcomes of any one program and require cross-organizational focus and leadership to continue driving a systematic shift in how the CER works.
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