2023–24 Annual Report of the Canada Energy Regulator – Overview of the Canada Energy Regulator
Context
The CER regulates federal infrastructure to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, protecting the environment, recognizing and respecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples, and providing timely and relevant energy information and analysis.
Preventing harm is the foundation of how the CER keeps people safe and protects the environment. The CER enforces some of the strictest safety and environmental standards in the world, and this oversight goes beyond simple compliance. The CER expects companies to adopt new technologies and innovative approaches to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their management system in preventing harm.
Expected Results
- There is no harm to people and the environment throughout the lifecycle of energy-related activities.
- Energy adjudication processes are fair, timely, transparent, and accessible.
- Canadians have access to relevant energy and pipeline information for knowledge, research or decision-making.
- Feedback provided by stakeholders and Indigenous Peoples informs the CER’s decisions and work.
- The right governance, resources, management systems, programs and services are in place to deliver on program results.
Governance
Chief Executive Officer
The CEO is responsible for the management and daily operations and affairs of the organization, including the supervision of its employees and their work, and has the responsibilities of a deputy head.
Board of Directors
The Board of Directors (Board) is responsible for governance and strategic advice and direction, and is focused on organizational results and outcomes.
Indigenous Advisory Committee
The IAC advises the CER on building a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples. The IAC also advises on strategic, systemic, policy, and program development relevant to the CER mandate, including the CER’s oversight, expectations, and requirements of regulated industry.
Commission
The Commission of the CER (Commission) is responsible for adjudicative decisions and recommendations pursuant to the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) and other legislation. The Commission is part of the CER and, although its adjudicative role is independent, it contributes to the overall effective delivery of the CER’s mandate and corporate outcomes.
Further information about the Commission can be found in the 2023-24 Annual Report of the Commission of the Canada Energy Regulator
Indigenous Advisory Committee
The IAC was established in August 2020, in accordance with the CER Act, to provide strategic advice to the CER on building a renewed relationship with First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities. The IAC’s work is guided by a robust work plan and terms of reference co-endorsed by the IAC and the Board. It has grown from developing relationships between the IAC, Board, and CER, and influencing the Strategic Plan, to impacting the entire organization’s work. The IAC, and its advice, are helping advance Reconciliation throughout the CER.
The ambitious IAC work plan identified five priorities for the IAC in 2021-2024, which included: i) relationships and governance; ii) the UN Declaration; iii) cultural competency and change management; iv) Indigenous Peoples’ involvement in regulatory oversight; and v) Crown consultation and accommodation.
Over the last three years of the work plan, the IAC’s advice has directly influenced the work of the CER in a variety of areas, including:
the CER’s Crown consultation and accommodation approach;
the development of the CER’s Indigenous Cultural Intelligence and Change Management Framework as the foundation for building and supporting a culturally competent workforce that has the skills needed to enable meaningful engagement and implementation of the UN Declaration;
the engagement approach for the review of the Onshore Pipeline Regulations and NGTL Indigenous collaborative oversight mechanism; and
the development process for the implementation of the UN Declaration Action Plan Measure 34, and how the CER shapes and implements its Indigenous Cultural Intelligence and Change Management Framework.
Throughout all this work at the CER, there is an emphasis on taking a distinctions-based approach to ensure that the perspectives of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis communities are incorporated.
As the IAC wraps up the final year of its three-year work plan and moves into its next iteration, IAC Members have taken a higher-level strategic approach to working with the CER to leverage and use the different strengths that each Committee member possesses. The new IAC work plan will also closely align with the CER’s new 2024-2027 Strategic Plan.
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