ARCHIVED – Canada Energy Regulator – 2020–21 Departmental Plan
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Plans at a glance
The CER is Canada’s new federal energy regulator. We work for the people in Canada to keep energy moving safely through our country’s pipelines and powerlines. We confidently enforce some of the strictest safety and environmental standards in the world and use the best available science and data, robust processes and Indigenous knowledge when making our decisions.
Governance at the CER
There is a clear separation between the organization’s adjudicative and management functions. The new and modern CER governance structure reflects best practices and includes:
A Board of Directors, led by a Chairperson, governs the CER and provides strategic oversight to the organization.
A Chief Executive Officer, who is responsible for managing the day-to-day business and affairs of the CER and has the responsibilities of a deputy head.
A Commission headed by a Lead Commissioner, responsible for independent adjudicative decisions.
Canadians are more passionate about energy issues than ever before. Our tools, structures, and governance enable us to develop deep and enduring relationships with Indigenous Peoples, stakeholders and all Canadians affected by energy development. We seek new ways to work openly and share data and information so people can understand our work and make the best decisions for themselves.
We are also committed to making predictable and timely decisions. Providing certainty in our processes to stakeholders and investors drives innovation and enables sound projects to be built that create jobs for Canadians.
Our portfolio is a complex one, touching the lives of everyone in Canada and igniting passionate discussion. To successfully deliver on our mandate in this environment, and in support of the Minister’s mandateFootnote 2, we are focussing our work on three complementary areas:
Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples
We are committed to the ongoing process of Reconciliation, building a new relationship with Indigenous Peoples based on recognition of rights, respect, cooperation and partnership. Transforming how we work with Indigenous Peoples and incorporating Indigenous knowledge into our work will help us improve safety and environmental outcomes.
We recognize that reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples is an ongoing journey. Our work is guided by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)Footnote 3, the Calls To ActionFootnote 4 of the Truth and Reconciliation CommissionFootnote 5, and the Principles respecting the Government of Canada’s relationship with Indigenous PeoplesFootnote 6.
In 2020–21, our strategy is based on a firm belief that in order to work differently with Indigenous communities, we must deepen our understanding. A shared cultural awareness is key to establishing strong and trusting relationships, and it is only through these relationships that we can co-develop approaches that work for everyone. We are improving our Indigenous cultural competency by training employees to understand more about Indigenous history, culture and contemporary issues facing Indigenous Peoples in Canada. We invite Indigenous communities to be more involved, not just in our hearings, but also in our oversight work throughout the life of a pipeline project. New structures like the Indigenous Advisory Committee will root Indigenous perspectives into our overall strategy setting and program development across CER.
People and Workforce
The CER supports an agile, inclusive and equipped workplace outlined in the Beyond2020Footnote 7 framework. We are guided by values of Respect for People, Integrity, and Excellence.
We have an engaged, skilled workforce that produces leading edge, quality work using innovative approaches and skills, benefitting our stakeholders, the industry we regulate, and all Canadians. We encourage our employees to take the lead in finding ways to improve how we work. We believe an empowered team of people, rooted in diversity, drives innovation and improves the outcomes we are seeking to achieve for Canadians.
In 2020–21, we will continue to develop our leaders throughout the organization, implement a renewed employee performance management system, support a psychologically healthy workplace, and enhance our official language capacity.
Data Transformation
We are transforming how we leverage and unlock information and data to better serve Canadians. We are able to draw on over 60 years of information and data related to energy project regulation, including the economics of how we move energy, and how projects and infrastructure impact the environment and communities.
New digital technologies enable us to analyze our data so we can proactively spot trends and quickly take action to prevent harm to people and the environment. New technologies also improve our efficiency and reduce errors by automating and streamlining our processes.
In 2020–21, the CER will make investments in data science training and recruitment, modernize IT systems, use data to automate our manual processes, promote open science, and create new ways for people to easily access and engage with energy-related information and data.
For more information on the Canada Energy Regulator’s plans, priorities and planned results, see the “Core responsibilities: planned results and resources” section of this report.
Corporate risks and related response strategies affecting the delivery of the CER’s outcomes can be found on our websiteFootnote 8.
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