Renewed Relationships

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) is committed to building and sustaining long-term, respectful relationships with Indigenous Peoples, grounded in mutual respect, trust and understanding. This commitment includes early and ongoing engagement to collaborate on approaches to regulatory oversight that reflect Indigenous rights, interests and perspectives. These approaches support shared outcomes and help the CER uphold our top priority: protecting people, property and the environment.

Over the past decade, the CER has walked a path with Indigenous partners to strengthen regulatory oversight of energy projects in Canada. This journey began with listening. We heard from Indigenous Nations and communities about the need for meaningful, ongoing involvement in regulatory oversight of energy projects.

Through various initiatives and years of engagement and collaboration, we learned that regulatory oversight – and the protection of people, property, and the environment – is strongest when Indigenous knowledge, lived experience, and leadership are central. These partnerships have shown us what is possible when we work together. They’ve shaped a foundation that guides our next step: building a systemic approach for involvement of Indigenous Peoples in oversight of CER-regulated energy projects. One that is more coordinated, sustainable, and reflective of the priorities Indigenous partners have long advanced around protection of people and the environment.

Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees

Indigenous Peoples, the Government of Canada, and the CER worked together to create the Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees (IAMCs). We are members of:

These IAMCs operate independently to increase Indigenous involvement in federal monitoring and oversight of two pipeline systems regulated by the CER. The committees provide the opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to participate meaningfully in oversight activities along the pipeline corridors while companies build and operate the projects. This includes Indigenous Monitoring programs that were co-developed by Indigenous partners and federal regulators. The programs create a shared foundation for Indigenous participation in project oversight that’s grounded in Indigenous leadership, community priorities, and lived experience.

We continue to work closely with, and learn from, our IAMC partners. In addition to contributing Indigenous knowledge and perspectives to day-to-day activities such as compliance verification, IAMCs also provide advice and input on the CER’s broader policy objectives. Learn more by reading the Terms of Reference on the TMX-IAMC and Line 3 IAMC webpages.

CER and Indigenous Communities work together to oversee the NGTL pipeline system

The CER has an Indigenous Monitoring Program for the entire Nova Gas Transmission Limited pipeline system (NGTL System). The program was initiated in early 2021 during NGTL construction. It is a partnership between the CER and multiple First Nations and Métis organizations in Alberta.

The program has evolved over time. It is currently focused on conducting compliance verification with partner communities directly impacted by construction activities on the NGTL system. The NGTL Indigenous Monitoring Program is another way the CER is strengthening Indigenous involvement in compliance and oversight activities.

Learnings from Indigenous collaboration

We are building on learnings from the IAMCs and engagement with Indigenous communities impacted by the NGTL System. We recognize that further work is needed to enhance Indigenous involvement in CER oversight in a system-wide way.

Our goal is to have Indigenous participation in compliance and oversight activities across all CER-regulated infrastructure. At the same time, we will continue to build and strengthen relationships and learn collaboratively how best to achieve this goal.

Building relationship through implementing APM SP34

The CER is working to advance the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act and its Action Plan, specifically through Action Plan Measure Shared Priorities 34 (APM SP34). APM SP34 calls for enhancing Indigenous Peoples’ participation in decision-making processes.

The CER worked with Natural Resources Canada and the Trans Mountain Expansion Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee (TMX-IAMC) to co-develop APM SP34 and we are working collaboratively to advance the measure in a coordinated and deliberate way.

Delivering on APM SP34 requires collaboration across the CER. It creates opportunities to deepen our relationships with Indigenous Peoples, communities, and organizations that share an interest in the CER’s regulatory oversight.

The CER recognizes that Indigenous Peoples’ meaningful involvement in our work makes us a stronger regulator and enables us to better protect people, property and the environment. Strengthened relationships help to bring together our collective perspectives – Indigenous knowledge and worldviews and Western knowledge and approaches. Together, we ensure Canada’s federally regulated pipelines are safe, the environment is protected, and Indigenous rights are recognized and respected.

 

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