Canada Energy Regulator – 2021–22 Departmental Plan

Canada Energy Regulator – 2021–22 Departmental Plan [PDF 1120 KB]

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

ISSN 2562-9735

Canada Energy Regulator


2021–22


Departmental Plan

Table of Contents

• Message from the Chairperson
• Message from the CEO
• Plans at a glance
• Core responsibilities: planned results and resources
  • Energy Adjudication
  • Safety and Environment Oversight
  • Energy Information
  • Engagement
• Internal Services: planned results
• Spending and human resources
  • Planned spending
  • Planned human resources
  • Estimates by vote
  • Future-oriented condensed statement of operations
• Corporate information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Operating context
  • Reporting framework
• Supporting information on the program inventory
• Supplementary information tables
• Federal tax expenditures
• Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

Message from the Chairperson

It is an honour to share the 2021–22 Departmental Plan on behalf of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER).

The Departmental Plan provides Canadians and Parliamentarians with information on the work of the CER and insight into what the organization will focus on in the coming year. It tells the story of how the CER will work in 2021–22.

Setting the strategic direction for the organization is central to the role of the Board of Directors and I am very pleased that 2021–22 will see the implementation of the CER’s new Strategic Plan.

The Strategic Plan was shaped by advice from the Indigenous Advisory Committee^Footnote 1 (IAC), input from the CER’s Commission, analysis from across the organization, consultation with other government departments, and broad stakeholder feedback.

The Strategic Plan will form the foundation of our work in the coming year and it includes a new CER Mission, Vision and four Strategic Priorities.

The Mission aligns with the CER's mandate, as described in our enabling legislation, the Canadian Energy Regulator Act^Footnote 2 (CER Act). Our new Mission is as follows:

• Regulating infrastructure to ensure safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, protecting the environment, recognizing and respecting the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and providing timely and relevant energy information and analysis.

The Vision is aspirational, capturing the type of regulator we strive to be and furthering commitments in the preamble of the CER Act. Our new Vision is as follows:

• An energy regulator with an exemplary workforce that has the confidence of Canadians; is dedicated to ensuring safety and environmental sustainability; builds strong relationships with First Nations, the Métis, and the Inuit; and enhances Canada’s global competitiveness.

The four Strategic Priorities will help us to deliver on our Vision and Mission and guide our work in the organization’s four Core Responsibilities. As further described in this Departmental Plan, our Strategic Priorities are:

• Trust and Confidence;
• Reconciliation;
• Competitiveness; and
• Data and Digital Innovation.

A key part of the successful delivery of our mandate is the work of the CER’s Commission. While the independence of the Commission's adjudication function is a critical feature of the CER's governance structure, the Commission forms part of the CER and contributes to the overall success of the organization.

2021–22 will mark the first full fiscal year of the CER’s IAC, which is an integral part of the CER’s governance structure. The overarching mandate of the IAC, which was established in August 2020, is to advise the Board on how the CER can build a renewed relationship with First Nations, the Métis, and the Inuit.

The establishment of the IAC is a key requirement of the CER Act, and is one of the ways we are fundamentally transforming the way we work with the Indigenous peoples of Canada.

Over the next year, the COVID-19 pandemic will continue to have impacts throughout the world. In this uncertain time, the CER is committed to the uninterrupted delivery of its mandate, ensuring the oversight of federally regulated energy infrastructure and the safety of communities near those facilities.

“Achieving this mission” is only possible with a team of dedicated professionals who are committed to serving the public. The CER's greatest strength truly is its people and I thank them for making the Canada Energy Regulator an effective and responsive organization.

Cassie Doyle
Chairperson
Board of Directors of the Canada Energy Regulator

Message from the CEO

As the Chief Executive Officer, I am extremely proud to lead the 500+ dedicated public servants of the Canada Energy Regulator. We work together to deliver on the important mission and strong vision that inspire us every day.

While 2021–22 will continue to have its uncertainties, our responsibility to serve Canadians is clear. The CER will move forward, focusing on our mandate and demonstrating the agility needed to deliver the services that Canadians expect from us. No one does these jobs alone. We will work collaboratively, taking strength from our diversity, and finding new ways to support each other.

The CER has a new Strategic Plan and it is my role as the CEO to lead the implementation of this Plan, seamlessly connecting the CER’s new Mission, Vision and four Strategic Priorities with our established four Core Responsibilities, which are: Safety and Environment Oversight, Energy Adjudication, Energy Information, and Engagement.

Some of the initiatives the CER will undertake in 2021–22 to reflect this approach include:

• Implementing measures to improve process timeliness and clarity. This includes measures to improve the efficiency of adjudication processes by identifying and addressing issues through early engagement, streamlining certain low-impact applications and supporting the delivery of clear filing guidance.
• Continuing to monitor and update our oversight of regulated facilities to ensure that COVID-19 requirements are respected, ensuring the safety of Canadians and Indigenous communities near regulated activities.
• Enhancing the delivery of data and information about the facilities the CER regulates by ensuring that information is easy to find and understand.
• Developing a National Engagement Strategy and expanding relationships with impacted Indigenous peoples and stakeholders.

At the heart of all of this work is our absolute commitment to safety. It is who we are and what we do. The CER will work to ensure that the projects we regulate are constructed, operated and abandoned in a safe and secure manner that protects people, property and the environment.

During each step of all federally regulated pipeline construction that occurs in 2021–22, the CER will provide oversight and hold the pipeline company accountable, while verifying that it is meeting its requirements and commitments through rigorous compliance verification activities. Work on the Trans Mountain Expansion Project and Line 3 pipeline will continue to be done in partnership with the their respective Indigenous Advisory Monitoring Committees and Indigenous monitors.

In addition, the CER in 2021–22 will strive to create a step-change within the organization in advancing reconciliation with the Indigenous peoples of Canada. We will work with the newly established IAC to transform how we work as a regulator with Indigenous people – respecting Indigenous perspectives, knowledge, teachings, values, use of the land and water, oral traditions, and worldviews.

The Board of Directors, the Commission, and our staff, all work together with a common focus on ensuring we are the best regulator we can be, serving Canadians and making a difference.

The CER is at the nexus of a number of issues that are extremely important to Canadians. We have a real opportunity to make an impact on our country through the delivery of our four core responsibilities and in our work to advance reconciliation, enhance competitiveness, innovate through our data and information, and foster the trust and confidence of Canadians. It is an exciting time to be here and we look forward to continuing on this journey.

Gitane De Silva
Chief Executive Officer
Canada Energy Regulator

Date modified:

2023-11-27