Canada Energy Regulator – 2021–22 Departmental Results Report

Canada Energy Regulator – 2020–21 Departmental Results Report [PDF 1550 KB]

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

ISSN 2563-3244

Table of contents

• Message from the Chairperson
• Message from the Chief Executive Officer
• Results at a glance
  • Trust and Confidence
  • Reconciliation
  • Competitiveness
  • Data and Digital Innovation
• Results: what we achieved
  • Safety and Environment Oversight
  • Energy Adjudication
  • Energy Information
  • Engagement
  • Internal services
• Spending and human resources
  • Spending
  • Human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• 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

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) regulates federal infrastructure to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world. It has been tasked to deliver an energy regulatory system that inspires trust and public confidence on the part of Canadians. The CER does this through robust communications, transparency, collaboration and inclusive engagement.

The CER’s Board of Directors is responsible for governance of the Regulator and sets the strategic direction of the organization. This Departmental Results Report is an overview of the Regulator’s activities of the past year, which included the significant achievement of the Board’s approval of the CER’s first three-year Strategic Plan^Footnote 1 in April 2021.

The Strategic Plan benefited from the input of the CER’s Commission^Footnote 2 and Indigenous Advisory Committee^Footnote 3 (IAC). This plan outlines the CER’s bold mission and vision, and four interconnected strategic priorities; it is the CER’s blueprint for building a modern and more effective regulatory system founded on the legislation that established the CER – the Canadian Energy Regulator Act^Footnote 4 (CER Act). During 2021-22, the CER effectively delivered on its mandate, with safety at the core, and made substantial progress on each of the new strategic priorities: Trust and Confidence; Reconciliation; Competitiveness; and Data and Digital Innovation.

The Board of Directors is particularly proud of the relationships built, and work to date, with the IAC. Established in August 2020, the IAC has a key focus: to advise the CER on building a new relationship with the Indigenous peoples of Canada. The IAC’s nine members are leaders at the local, regional, and national level, reflecting the diversity of First Nations, Métis Nation and Inuit communities, languages, genders, geographies, and skills and expertise. Operating at a strategic level, the IAC works directly with the Board of Directors as an integral part of the CER’s governance structure. The advice of the IAC has had a profound impact on the Board, strengthening our own work and thinking as well as beginning to make tangible impacts on the organization itself.

We were fortunate to welcome three new Directors to the Board in 2021. Karen Leibovici, Karim Mahmud, and François Tanguay bring extensive experience and expertise to the CER and enhance the Board’s ability to provide effective and strategic oversight to the organization. I would also like to acknowledge the extraordinary contributions to the organization of Alain Jolicoeur, one of the initial Directors of the CER and previously a Member of the National Energy Board. Mr. Jolicoeur resigned from the CER’s Board of Directors in early 2022, and he will be truly missed.

In a year when Canadians continued to be challenged by the ongoing global pandemic, the Board commends the herculean efforts of the CER’s staff to remain agile, innovate and deliver results for Canadians.

The original version was signed by

Cassie J. Doyle
Chairperson
Board of Directors of the Canada Energy Regulator

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

The CER regulates federal infrastructure to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, protect the environment, recognize, and respect the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and provide timely and relevant energy information and analysis. Our staff accomplishes this through their robust safety and environmental oversight, support for our Commission’s adjudication processes, engaging meaningfully with Canadians and Indigenous peoples, and staying abreast of the constantly evolving energy information landscape.

Our organization has adapted and delivered strong results across many Program areas. We have also taken careful note of where we did not achieve our intended results and outcomes. The CER is committed to excellence through on-going measurement and assessment of our work, and we will use the lessons learned over the year to drive continual improvement.

As we deliver on our mandate, safety remains steadfastly at the core of what we do. With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to impact the lives of Canadians this past year, that meant taking additional precautions both for our staff and the communities where our regulated infrastructure is present. We continued to successfully deliver virtual hearings and undertake comprehensive inspections. During the historic floods in British Columbia (BC), our staff were on the ground to oversee our regulated companies’ response to the floods, and to ensure federally-regulated infrastructure stayed safe.

In December 2021, the CER released Canada's Energy Future 2021: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050^Footnote 5, a report that has been informing the energy conversation at Canada’s boardroom tables and dinner tables. This report explores how new technologies and climate policies will impact Canadian energy consumption and production trends over the next 30 years. We are going even further with our next iteration. Our staff is hard at work expanding our analysis to include modeling consistent with Canada’s commitment to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

We have continued to make progress towards transforming the way we work with Indigenous peoples. We have invested significantly in enhancements to our approach to Crown consultation and accommodation and will continue to do so. Our work towards the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples^Footnote 6(UN Declaration) within our mandate continues to evolve. With the advice of the IAC and working with the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees (IAMC) for the Line 3 Replacement and Trans Mountain Expansion Projects, we are building a new relationship with Indigenous peoples. Our work to recruit, retain, and promote more Indigenous employees, including a bridging program for Indigenous Monitors, is also key to improving how we discharge our mandate while ensuring the respect for the rights of Indigenous peoples.

Over the past year, the CER launched a review of the Onshore Pipeline Regulations^Footnote 7 (OPR), our primary “rulebook” for onshore pipelines. We are conducting a comprehensive review to update the OPR, building on years of learnings and incorporating feedback received from Indigenous peoples, regulated companies, landowners, and other stakeholders. This significant effort will further modernize our regulatory framework.

We are fortunate to be supported by talented staff in data, finance, human resources, facilities, and all other areas of our internal operations, who provide the daily support to enable delivery of our regulatory mandate. We initiated a Hybrid Workplace Pilot in March 2022, alongside significant efforts to modernize other aspects of our internal operations.

When I joined the CER, I shared my personal and professional commitment to diversity and inclusion with all staff. All Canadians should see themselves reflected at all levels of the public service. A diverse workforce will allow us to capitalize on broader perspectives and expertise to improve how we work as a regulator. This year, the CER delivered its Diversity and Belonging Roadmap to help address issues of discrimination and inequitable workplace experiences. This Roadmap outlines the tangible actions we are taking and the further actions required to get us where we need to be, and I am confident that we will continue on the right path together.

I would like to thank every member of the CER team for their hard work and commitment over the past year, the Board for its strategic direction and oversight, and the IAC for its transformative advice. The CER is working daily to be a regulator that holds the trust and confidence of Canadians. We are evolving to meet the changing needs of Canadians and the energy system, while holding those we regulate to the highest standards of safety, and the protection of rights and the environment. While I am incredibly proud of all that the CER achieved in 2021–22, I am more excited for what we will achieve together in the coming year.

The original version was signed by

Gitane De Silva
Chief Executive Officer
Canada Energy Regulator

Date modified:

2022-12-30