Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s 2023–24 Annual Report: At a glance

Key priorities

The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission’s top priorities for 2023–24 were as follows:

• The CNSC is committed to a modern approach to nuclear regulation using science- and evidence-based, risk-informed, and technically sound regulatory practices that consider scientific uncertainties and evolving expectations. In 2023–24, the CNSC:
  • leveraged Budget 2022 (A Plan to Grow Our Economy and Make Life More Affordable) to advance readiness to regulate small modular reactors (SMRs)
  • undertook compliance and licensing activities for new SMR builds
  • continued to strengthen its regulatory oversight of radioactive waste management
• The CNSC continuously strives to be a trusted regulator, recognized as independent, open and transparent, and as a credible source of scientific, technical and regulatory information. In 2023–24, the CNSC:
  • continued to demonstrate independence in regulatory decision making
  • modernized Commission proceedings in response to best practices and evolving public expectations around public engagement and participation
  • developed and began implementing an action plan in response to the findings and recommendations in the Nuclear Energy Agency report resulting from the 2022 Country-Specific Safety Culture Forum
  • began implementing a new strategic stakeholder engagement program to guide the development and maintenance of long-term relationships with Indigenous Nations and communities and specific stakeholders, and to ensure that concerns, perspectives and values are taken into consideration
  • hosted Canada’s first Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Nuclear Energy Agency International Mentoring Workshop for Grade 9 Indigenous girls
• The CNSC leverages and influences global nuclear efforts, relevant to Canadian interests and activities, to enhance international nuclear safety, security and non-proliferation. In 2023–24, the CNSC:
  • demonstrated leadership and support efforts on harmonization of regulatory practices and requirements at a global level by participating in international collaboration efforts to harmonize regulatory processes around the deployment of new reactor designs such as SMRs
  • signed a memorandum of understanding in August 2023 with the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine on the exchange of information in nuclear regulatory matters including pre-licensing safety assessments of new nuclear facility designs, and regulatory activities for decommissioning uranium mining and processing facilities
  • signed a memorandum of cooperation with the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the United Kingdom Office for Nuclear Regulation to collaborate on the assessment of designs for SMRs and advanced modular reactors
  • supported improvements to safety standards through its roles in international associations and committees that advance nuclear safety such as International Nuclear Safety Advisory Group and the Commission on Safety Standards
  • hosted heads of nuclear regulatory agencies from France, Germany, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States for the 51st meeting of the International Nuclear Regulators’ Association in May 2023
• The CNSC continues to make strides in ensuring that it is an agile organization ‒ one that is flexible and inclusive, with an empowered and equipped workforce able to quickly adapt to an evolving operating environment. In 2023–24, the CNSC:
  • continued to support digital transformation to provide its workforce with the necessary tools to be flexible, agile and respond to long-term organizational needs
  • closed human resource management policy and process gaps to enable and empower a mobile and hybrid workforce
• established a Transformation Management Office to coordinate and deliver the full scope of its transformation, in support of a culture of change readiness and acting as a centre for enablement for transformational and horizontal initiatives, providing clarity, support and integrated information for decision making

Highlights

In 2023–24, total actual spending (including internal services) for the CNSC was $ 170,044,569 and total actual human resources spending was 968 full-time equivalents (FTEs). For complete information on the CNSC’s total spending and human resources, read the spending and human resources section of the full report.

The following provides a summary of the CNSC’s achievements in 2023–24 according to its approved Departmental Results Framework. A Departmental Results Framework consists of a department’s core responsibilities, the results it plans to achieve and the performance indicators that measure progress toward these results.