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Advocacy

The Canadian Electricity Association (CEA) is dedicated to contributing to the success of its members through the delivery of a strong advocacy program. By providing a clear, focused and coherent voice, CEA’s Government Relations Program ensures that the interests and needs of its members have a significant impact on policy and regulatory developments in Canada and the United States.

CEA’s strategic goals provide a comprehensive road map to the most pressing issue for Canada’s electricity sectors and the corresponding federal initiatives, programs and statutes addressed by CEA’s GR Program :

1. Infrastructure

The challenge facing the Canadian electricity sector is significant: meeting new demand while simultaneously replacing aging infrastructure and achieving continuous improvements in emissions reduction efforts and overall environmental performance.

Electricity infrastructure projects and operations are subject to multiple pieces of legislation and regulation falling under the jurisdiction of various agencies and orders of government, each of which may have a different mandate and jurisdictional obligation. At the federal level, these include:

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
The Canadian Environmental Protection Act
The Fisheries Act
The Migratory Birds Convention Act
The Navigable Waters Protection Act
The Nuclear Safety and Control Act
The Species at Risk Act

2. Energy Efficiency

Customers expect their electricity supplier to provide options to assist them in using electricity more efficiently, to help manage customer costs and minimize environmental impacts. CEA and its member companies have taken a leadership role in providing energy efficiency information and programs. CEA works with government and stakeholders in support of energy efficiency and seeks to achieve greater understanding among regulators of the business case for energy efficiency. Federal initiatives that support these efforts include:

3. Technology

Maximizing the benefits of leading-edge technologies and deploying next-generation technology is essential to meeting industry and customer needs and to ensure an adequate and sustainable supply of electricity for the future. To increase federal support for electricity sector technology and R&D, CEA advocates for improvements to:

The Canadian Standards Strategy
The Electricity and Gas Inspection Act
The Income Tax Act
The Scientific Research and Experimental Development Tax Incentive Program
The Telecommunications Act

4. Regulation

Regulatory burden and delay, including duplication of process, results in lost opportunities and increased costs, hindering the ability to build essential infrastructure, implement new technologies and deploy innovative approaches to meeting customer expectations.

CEA seeks more coordinated, effective and efficient regulatory regimes within and between governments, and more timely decisions to provide greater certainty for customers and shareholders.

5. Environment

A fragmented approach by governments to dealing with environmental issues, coupled with the lack of an integrated and coordinated Federal/Provincial environmental policy framework is a barrier to building needed infrastructure and deploying commercial (BATEA) technologies. CEA seeks a holistic approach and greater regulatory coherence on environmental issues. Through Sustainable Electricity, CEA is a leader in sustainability and corporate responsibility.

6. Security

Ensuring the long-term security, reliability and stability of the electricity system in Canada, considering its key role in powering other critical infrastructure sectors, is essential to the economy and quality of life. CEA takes a risk-based all-hazards approach and provides members with coordination and programs to protect the Canadian electricity system from physical and cyber threats. Federal initiatives that support these efforts include:

The National Cyber Security Strategy
The Emergency Management Act
The National Security Policy

		Decision Makers Guide			New! Energy Efficiency

		CEA Government Relations Contact Geoff Smith Director, Government Relations (613)-688-2064			Subject Matter Experts