ARCHIVED – Canada Energy Regulator – 2019–20 Departmental Results Report

Canada Energy Regulator – 2019–20 Departmental Results Report [PDF 1626 KB]

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

ISSN 2573-3244

Table of contents

• Message from the Chairperson
• Message from the Chief Executive Officer
• Results at a glance and operating context
  • Operating context: the Creation of the CER
• Results: what we achieved
  • Energy Adjudication
  • Safety and Environment Oversight
  • Energy Information
  • Engagement
  • Internal Services
• Analysis of trends in spending and human resources
  • Actual expenditures
  • Actual Human Resources
  • Expenditures by vote
  • Government of Canada spending and activities
  • Financial statements and financial statements highlights
• Additional information
  • Organizational profile
  • Raison d’être, mandate and role: who we are and what we do
  • Reporting Framework
  • Supporting information on the Program Inventory
  • Supplementary information tables
  • Federal tax expenditures
  • Organizational contact information
• Appendix: definitions

Message from the Chairperson

Launched in August 2019, the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) works to keep energy moving safely and efficiently through Canada’s pipelines and powerlines. The CER’s enabling legislation^{Footnote 1} gave the organization an expanded mandate and a modern governance structure^{Footnote 2} that provides a clear separation between the roles of its Board, CEO and Commission.

The challenge that the CER has been tasked with is to build an energy regulatory system that inspires trust and public confidence on the part of Canadians, in particular Indigenous Peoples impacted by CER-regulated infrastructure. The Board of Directors believes that the CER will successfully meet that challenge when the organization fully realizes the commitments of the Canadian Energy Regulator Act^{Footnote 3} (CER Act) to enhance Canada’s global competitiveness and achieve reconciliation with First Nations, the Metis and the Inuit while ensuring safety and protecting people, property and the environment.

Enhancing Canada’s economic competitiveness is now core to the CER’s mandate. The organization is committed to making decisions in a predictable way and within time limits, providing certainty to investors and stakeholders, driving innovation and enabling infrastructure projects that create jobs for Canadians.

The CER has been striving to transform all aspects of its work to advance reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. In August 2020, the CER announced the establishment of its first Indigenous Advisory Committee^{Footnote 4}. This Committee will advise the Board of Directors on how the CER can build a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples and integrate Indigenous knowledge and perspectives into all facets of the CER’s work.

The CER has been expanding its Indigenous Monitoring program so that more CER-regulated projects are benefiting from Indigenous knowledge. Transforming how it works with Indigenous Peoples will help the CER be a better regulator, improve safety and environmental outcomes, and deliver a more predictable, coherent, and transparent regulatory environment.

Preventing harm is the foundation of how the CER keeps people safe and protects the environment. Over this past year of change, CER has continued to develop and enforce rules to protect people, the environment, energy markets and the economy.

The inauguration of the CER came after years of planning and hard work by the exceptional professionals who now work for the organization. In my time as Chairperson, I have been continually impressed by the values, commitment and deep expertise of the CER’s employees. Their passion is what makes the Canada Energy Regulator so compelling and relevant. They are our greatest attribute and provide an essential public service to Canada.

I want to express my appreciation and gratitude to Peter Watson, who retired as the CER’s Chief Executive Officer this year. Peter was the right person with the right background to lead the organization through its transformation over the past several years. His leadership on reconciliation and commitment to meaningful Indigenous engagement are his lasting legacy to the Canada Energy Regulator.

With Peter Watson’s departure, the CER was fortunate to have Sandy Lapointe step in as Acting CEO in March. Her deep knowledge of the CER and her experience as a service leader within the organization made the transition in leadership seamless. Just days later, that leadership proved invaluable as the reality of the COVID-19 pandemic changed the daily lives of everyone in Canada. Thanks to sound business continuity planning, the organization was able to maintain business operations even as employees transitioned to working from their homes. This major shift allowed the CER to continue to deliver its mandate without interruption.

Finally, I have the pleasure of welcoming our new CEO, Gitane De Silva, to the CER. Gitane brings to us a wealth of leadership experience, having served in several senior executive roles in the governments of Canada and Alberta, including at Global Affairs Canada and as Deputy Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations for Alberta. She has also held senior diplomatic roles, including Consul General for Canada in Chicago, Head of Environment and Fisheries Section at the Canadian Embassy in Washington and most recently as Alberta’s Senior Representative in the United States. Gitane has a deep knowledge of and experience in navigating Canada’s energy sector. She knows the background and issues. I am confident that Gitane is well-equipped to oversee the implementation of the CER’s strategy, run the organization’s day-to-day business and affairs, and lead the CER’s exceptional staff.

I am proud to chair the CER Board, and to support the work being done within the organization on behalf of Canadians. Once again, I want to thank the remarkable professionals who work at the CER for their unwavering commitment to public service.

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

Message from the Chief Executive Officer

I am honoured to join the Canada Energy Regulator as its Chief Executive Officer. Since taking on this role, I have been consistently impressed with the high level of technical expertise and regulatory experience that exists within this organization – attributes that have proven instrumental in successfully navigating a year of unprecedented change at the CER.

As a part of the CER’s mandate, the organization welcomed a new Board of Directors and Commission. Under the leadership of Chairperson Cassie Doyle and Lead Commissioner Damien Côté (respectively), the Board and Commission have made great strides in defining how to work effectively within the CER’s new governance structure. Their vision and strategic leadership is already evident in the work I see going on throughout the organization to increase the confidence of Canadians in our work, advance reconciliation, and build lasting relationships with the people we serve.

Both the Board and Commission are well-supported by CER staff who planned, listened and worked together to transition the organization smoothly through legislative change. Through our staff’s efforts, the CER has strengthened and deepened our commitment to regulatory excellence.

2019–20 was a remarkable year for another reason: the COVID-19 global pandemic. Under the very capable leadership of Acting CEO Sandy Lapointe, the CER successfully moved 500 staff out of the office overnight and equipped them with the tools needed to work with effectively from home. Sandy, the executive team, and the CER staff accomplished this while continuing to deliver on our mandate of keeping energy moving safely and efficiently, while preventing harm and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, all with minimal disruptions to CER services or operations. This is an excellent example of teamwork and an amazing accomplishment.

Like many of my colleagues at the CER, I have spent most of my career as a public servant and know that serving Canadians is so much more than a job. I take my obligation as a steward of the public trust very seriously and look forward to further growing Canadians’ confidence in the CER.

I recognize the CER’s reputation as a world class regulator and I look forward to listening and learning from the CER’s Board, Commission and staff. Together, we will continue to fully implement and realize the commitments of the CER Act, remaining focused on overseeing a strong, safe and sustainable Canadian energy sector.

Gitane De Silva
Chief Executive Officer
Canada Energy Regulator

Date modified:

2022-12-16