Letter from the Chairperson: Canada's Energy Future report and net-zero

20 December 2021

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Natural Resources
580 Booth Street
21st Floor, room C7-1
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0E4

Dear Minister:

Thank you for your letter letter of 16 December 2021 [PDF 275 KB] regarding the Canada Energy Regulator’s (CER) report, Canada’s Energy Future 2021: Energy Supply and Demand Projections to 2050. We welcome the clarity your letter provides as we continue to evolve our energy information products to meet the changing needs of Canadians.

On behalf of the Board, and in response to the request you have made, I am pleased to confirm the next iteration of Canada’s Energy Future will be expanded to include modelling consistent with Canada’s commitment to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. This analysis will cover all energy commodities and reflect a global context in which the world achieves its Paris Accord goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius.

The CER’s Energy Futures analysis has evolved significantly to reflect the dynamic federal policy environment. This evolution has included the introduction of the Evolving Policies Scenario as the report’s central scenario, and analysis in the 2020 Energy Futures report of key issues related to the net-zero transition in Canada’s remote and northern communities, oil sands, and passenger vehicle market. This year’s report also included results from the CER’s new hydrogen model and in-depth net-zero modelling of Canada’s electricity sector in six different scenarios. As a result, the CER is now prepared to take the next step in its net-zero analysis to credibly model the whole energy system in a net-zero future.

The CER, under the leadership of Gitane De Silva, Chief Executive Officer, is already in the process of planning the details for this next iteration of the Canada’s Energy Future report. The CER will be engaging broadly with stakeholders and partners on the path forward and welcomes continued collaboration with federal counterparts including Natural Resources Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada.

The CER, a cost-recovered organization, has four core responsibilities: Energy Adjudication, Safety and Environment Oversight, Engagement, Energy Information. Our mission is to regulate infrastructure to ensure safe and efficient delivery of energy to Canada and the world, protect the environment, recognize and respect the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Canada, and provide timely and relevant energy information and analysis. The expanded iteration of Canada’s Energy Futures helps us to further achieve that end. I, on behalf of the Board, welcome the opportunity for the CER to add to an essential and growing body of knowledge to help inform decisions as Canada works towards achieving net-zero by 2050.

Thank you again for your letter.

Yours sincerely,

Original signed by

Cassie J. Doyle

Chairperson of the Board of Directors

c.c.: Gitane De Silva, CEO

Katherine  Murphy, Chief of Staff

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