Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) Annual Report 2006-2007

Letter to the Minister of Natural Resources Canada

The Honourable Gary Lunn

The Honourable Gary Lunn,
Minister of Natural Resources Canada
Ottawa, Ontario

Sir:

I have the honour of presenting you with the Annual Report of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2007. The report has been prepared and is submitted in accordance with Section 72 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act.

[ original signed by Linda J. Keen ]

Linda J. Keen
President

Message from the President,

Linda J. Keen

On behalf of Canadians, the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) acts as Canada's independent nuclear regulator to oversee the requirements for safety, security, environmental protection and non-proliferation for all nuclear installations and materials in Canada.

This annual report outlines the work of the CNSC and its staff over the past year. I would like to highlight a few areas of priority action undertaken by our agency.

Our first priority area is a modern regulatory framework. The Nuclear Safety and Control Act (NSCA), which was promulgated in 2000, remains one of the most modern and comprehensive legislations in the world. Last year saw other countries, including France and Switzerland, moving toward similar independent oversight of their nuclear industries. The CNSC continues to review the NSCA and to modernize its regulations, regulatory requirements and guidance documents. This ongoing review will ensure rigorous and enforceable requirements for compliance as well as a clear regulatory direction, which will provide industry with the regulatory requirements to make their investment decisions, especially with respect to new nuclear power plants.

The second area of focus is building the capacity of the CNSC. We have benefited from clear support from the Government of Canada, which has allowed us to grow in order to meet a new workload in all areas of our regulatory mandate, spanning the entire nuclear cycle from uranium mining and power production to waste management. Almost 70% of the CNSC's activities are cost recovered, and the remaining areas, such as medical clinics, universities and emergency management, represent clear public policy decisions. We expect the CNSC to grow further as the industry we regulate declares its intentions to expand and have started Vision 2020 to clearly outline the needs for the agency in the future.

The third priority that I would like to highlight is good governance. All federal agencies are required to adhere to strict and transparent governance and accountability. The CNSC has continued to work with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Office of the Auditor General and other central oversight agencies, to assure the Government of Canada of our effectiveness, efficiency and transparency to Canadians. In parallel, the CNSC is committed to and is clearly articulating its independence regarding scientific integrity and decision making as a quasi-judicial administrative tribunal.

Finally, the CNSC is, and will continue to be, committed to continuous improvement and to working with our international counterparts to ensure Canada is a leading player in the areas of nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation as well as the protection of persons and the environment.

All of these efforts are to assure Canadians of the integrity, effectiveness and efficiency of the CNSC.

Sincerely,

[ original signed by Linda J. Keen ]

Linda J. Keen
President and Chief Executive Officer