Our history

The Canada Energy Regulator (CER) was formed on August 28, 2019 when the Canadian Energy Regulator Act (CER Act) became law. We have almost six decades of experience overseeing energy companies and projects in Canada.

Before that, we were the National Energy Board (NEB).

In November of 1959, the NEB was born. The NEB became responsible for oil, gas and electricity exports. It became responsible for deciding how much companies could charge to move energy. It also became something called a “court of record”. This meant there were rules for how it could operate. It also had to record all evidence presented, along with its decisions, so people would be able to review them later.

Much has changed since then other than our name.

We protect your safety and the environment. As the world began to think more about protecting the environment, so did we. We realized that part of keeping people safe, is keeping the world they live in safe too. Sixty years later, we have a lot more knowledge under our belts. The companies we regulate follow some of the strictest safety and environmental standards in the world. We are constantly training to keep up with the latest science.

We are listening more so we can do better. We know that to make good decisions, we must involve the people affected by our work. We are changing how we work to reflect the rights and interests of Indigenous people in Canada, landowners and others.

We are experts on energy. Our people are recognized in Canada and worldwide as experts on energy statistics and analysis. Academics, media and businesses all depend on this information to make decisions every day.

We are getting better all the time. We are excited about what comes next and what the future holds.

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