ARCHIVED – National Energy Board – 2016–17 Departmental Results Report

2016–17
Departmental Results Report

National Energy Board

ISSN 2560-9742

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

Table of contents

• Message from the Chair and CEO
• Results at a glance
• Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Raison d’être
  • Mandate and role
  • NEB Modernization
• Operating context and key risks
  • Operating context
  • Key risks for 2016–17
• Results: what we achieved
  • Programs
  • Internal Services
• Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
  • Actual expenditures
  • Actual human resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Alignment of spending with the whole-of-government framework
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
    • Financial statements
    • Financial statements highlights
• Supplementary information
  • Corporate information
    • Organizational profile
    • Reporting framework
  • Supporting information on lower-level programs
  • Supplementary information tables
  • Federal tax expenditures
  • Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

Message from the Chair and CEO

I am pleased to present the National Energy Board (NEB) Departmental Results Report for 2016–17.

The NEB’s role in Canada’s energy landscape is to act as the steward of our federal energy infrastructure, and to regulate it in a way that prevents harm to people and the environment. This straight-forward mandate holds within it a great deal of complexity. Over the past several years, the NEB has been at the centre of increasingly polarized and complicated energy policy debates, which have given rise to the question of whether the organization is still a relevant and effective regulator. The answer is “Yes, and…”

From the time of its establishment in 1959, the NEB has been focused on identifying and regulating against harm, over the entire lifecycle of energy infrastructure. Canada’s energy industry has changed in that time. The Canadian public’s views on what constitutes harm, and our understanding of how to regulate against that, has evolved. The core objective of preventing harm has remained the same.

We recognize that in our current context, revisions and improvements to the legislation framework surrounding the NEB’s adjudication processes, and other issues of material importance, will help to deliver better outcomes for all Canadians. To that end, we have provided full support to the Government of Canada’s review to modernize the NEB’s role, structure, and mandate, and we are committed to helping the Government achieve its objectives. Modernization will strengthen our role as the steward of pipeline safety.

Supporting modernization is not the only initiative undertaken by the NEB in the past year. The NEB was one of only a few other government departments to opt into the “first wave” of implementing the new Treasury Board Secretariat Policy on Results. This was a significant undertaking, and we have made tremendous progress in implementing the Policy’s requirements, becoming a leader in this important area of government accountability. We believe that our Departmental Results Framework, which clearly states our Core Responsibilities and the measures we will use to demonstrate beneficial outcomes to Canadians, is the key to continuing our leadership in stewarding Canada’s federal energy infrastructure, and building the public’s trust.

Over the past year, we have laid the foundation for that implementation. The NEB has established a strong Management System and governance structure. We have built data management and data visualization structures that will support better data analysis, drive better decision-making, and facilitate transparent information-sharing with Canadians. We have taken a lead role in inter-jurisdictional regulatory cooperation, pulling focus towards the principles of Safety Culture and driving systemic change in industry safety practices. We have devoted more time and effort to establish and grow meaningful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, landowners, and regional stakeholders across the country. These initiatives will support strong safety and environmental outcomes in the coming years.

More work lies ahead, and the NEB continues to strive for regulatory excellence. Our focus on transparency, accountability, and performance will help us to become a more trusted regulator. And ongoing policy discussions will lead to shifts that will ultimately create a stronger regulatory system – one that is robust and well-functioning, supporting an energy system that provides what Canadians need, reliably and without causing any harm to people or the environment.

The NEB and its staff of expert, dedicated professionals from all backgrounds, continue to strive toward that goal. We will work hard and with pride to earn public confidence in our role as the steward of Canada’s federal energy infrastructure.

C. Peter Watson, P.Eng., FCAE
Chair and CEO
National Energy Board