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Video Stories - Patricia McCunn - Transcript

When Michel contacted me about the 50^th Anniversary celebration for the National Energy Board, two questions were top of mind. The first question is what role does the National Energy Board play in the lives of Canadians? and the second question is what challenges will the Energy Board face in the next 50 years? So starting with the first question about what does the National Energy Board, what role does it play in the lives of Canadians, the NEB plays a very important role though probably behind the scenes for the average Canadian. It acts in the public interest^[*] in terms of how it regulates the energy sector and that includes oil, gas and electricity. And while the average citizen will never fully see what the NEB does, they can rest assured that the NEB is acting to the benefit of Canadians and in their public interest^[*] and that's in creating what I think is a very strong energy regulatory system. I also think that the NEB has proven over the years that it is a very reliable, knowledgeable partner in the responsible development of energy resources in Canada, and it makes decisions, always, in the public interest^[*] of Canadians and for their benefit into the longer term. So as a past Board Member of the National Energy Board I'm very proud of the contributions that the NEB has made over the last 50 years and I very much look forward to its contributions in the next 50 years.

The energy landscape has changed significantly in a Canadian context over those last 50 years, and I think that going forward the National Energy Board has a role to play also in reaching out to consumers just as it has worked with industry in terms of improving its environmental practices. I think that consumers need to also understand that it needs to improve or green their energy consumption practices as well, because part of the balance that we have in terms of responsible development is that it's not just the production of energy it's the consumption of energy. And we need to recognize that the need for new energy infrastructure that's regulated by the NEB, is driven by consumer demand. So part of that is also what I see as the education component of the National Energy Board's mandate. So at the same time that the NEB will continue to assess what's in the public interest in terms of energy development from a regulatory perspective, it needs to look at contributing to the balanced discussion between how do you manage the economy, the environment, and energy so that it is a responsible and smart regulatory system for the benefit of all Canadians. And I think that they are up to that task and I just want to wish the National Energy Board and all its staff, all the best on this momentous occasion of the 50^th Anniversary and all the best going forward.

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Date Modified:

2011-10-26