Outgoing ExecCor - CEO & Chairperson Welcome Letter to Minister

Table of Contents

Dear Minister:

On behalf of the Canada Energy Regulator (CER) Board of Directors, Commission, Indigenous Advisory Committee, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and we would like to congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. As Minister, the CER supports you to deliver on your accountabilities to the Prime Minister and to Parliament for the CER’s overall performance.

The CER is Canada’s federal energy regulator. It regulates interprovincial and international pipelines and powerlines, offshore renewable energy projects outside Accord Act areas, oil and natural gas operations in frontier areas, and energy trade.

The Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) establishes the governance structure of the CER, or “the Regulator,” which includes the Board of Directors (Board), CEO, Commission and Indigenous Advisory Committee (IAC). Under the CER Act, the Board is responsible for governance and provides strategic direction and advice to the Regulator. The CEO has the rank and power of a deputy head and is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the organization. The Commission is responsible for making independent regulatory decisions or recommendations to the Governor in Council for decision. And, as an integral part of the governance structure, the IAC provides advice on how the organization can build new relationships with Indigenous Peoples and advance Reconciliation within the CER’s mandate. The IAC is the first of its kind for a federal regulator.

The CER is both a safety and economic regulator, as well as having a mandate to provide Canadians with timely and relevant energy information and analysis. The CER oversees just over 71,000 kilometres of pipelines (primarily, but not exclusively, transporting oil and gas), and 1,500 kilometres of power lines. The organization is almost fully cost-recovered, with 99% of our operational costs funded by the industry we regulate.

The CER’s mandate reflects four core responsibilities:

• Safety and environmental oversight, the CER works to prevent harm to people and the environment, throughout the lifecycle of energy projects;
• Energy adjudication, the CER makes decisions and recommendations using adjudicative processes that are fair, transparent, timely and accessible;
• Energy information, the CER collects, monitors, analyzes and produces relevant and accessible energy information and analysis, to inform the energy conversation in Canada; and
• Engagement, the CER engages nationally and regionally with Indigenous Peoples and stakeholders through open dialogues, asking questions, sharing perspectives, and collaboration.

The CER’s 2024-27 Strategic Plan further focuses the work of the organization and highlights priorities that guide activities across all of our core responsibilities. The four interconnected strategic priorities are: Trust and Confidence, Reconciliation and Implementing the UN Declaration, Competitiveness and Regulatory Excellence, and Preparing for the Energy Future.

Again, congratulations on your appointment. We look forward to our continued connections with you and the department.

Yours sincerely,

c.c.: Melanie Debassige, Vice-Chairperson of the Board of Directors – CER
        Kathy Penny, Deputy Lead Commissioner – CER
        Kaella-Marie Earle, Vice-Chairperson of the IAC – CER
        Katherine Murphy, Chief of Staff – CER
        Michael Vandergrift, Deputy Minister – NRCan

Date modified:

2025-09-08