The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC; ) is the federal regulator of

nuclear power Nuclear power is the use of nuclear reactions to produce electricity. Nuclear power can be obtained from nuclear fission, nuclear decay and nuclear fusion reactions. Presently, the vast majority of electricity from nuclear power is produced by ...

and materials in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

Mandate and history

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission was established under the 1997 '' Nuclear Safety and Control Act'' with a mandate to regulate nuclear energy, nuclear substances, and relevant equipment in order to reduce and manage the safety, environmental, and national security risks, and to keep Canada in compliance with international legal obligations, such as the

Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons The Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, commonly known as the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, is an international treaty whose objective is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and weapons technology, to promote cooperatio ...

. It replaced the former Atomic Energy Control Board (AECB, French: ''Régie de energie atomique''), which was founded in 1946. The CNSC is an agency of the

Government of Canada The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...

which reports to the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada () is the Canadian federalism, federal legislature of Canada. The Monarchy of Canada, Crown, along with two chambers: the Senate of Canada, Senate and the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons, form the Bicameral ...

through the Minister of Natural Resources. In 2008, Linda Keen the president and the chief executive officer of the CNSC was fired following a shortage of medical radioisotopes in Canada as a results of the extended routine shutdown of the NRU nuclear reactor at the

Chalk River Laboratories Chalk River Laboratories (; also known as CRL, Chalk River Labs and formerly Chalk River Nuclear Laboratories, CRNL) is a Canadian nuclear research facility in Deep River, about north-west of Ottawa. CRL is a site of significant research and ...

. Rumina Velshi joined the organisation in 2011 and in 2018 she became the President and CEO. In 2020 she also took on an international role for the

IAEA The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is an intergovernmental organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. It was established in 1957 ...

becoming their Chairperson for their Commission on Safety Standards. She was appointed to serve for four years.

Programs

The Participant Funding Program allows the public, Indigenous groups, and other stakeholders to request funding from the CNSC to participate in its regulatory processes. In 2014, the CNSC launched the Independent Environmental Monitoring Program. The program verifies that the public and environment around licensed nuclear facilities are safe, helping to confirm their regulatory position and decision-making.

References

External links

* {{authority control 2000 establishments in Canada Federal departments and agencies of Canada Government agencies established in 2000 Energy regulatory authorities of Canada Nuclear regulatory organizations Natural Resources Canada Nuclear power in Canada

Mandate and history

Programs

See also

References

External links