Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada
Ressources naturelles Canada
Department overview
Formed1994
TypeDepartment responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping and remote sensing
JurisdictionGovernment of Canada
Employees4,325 (2020–2021)[1]
Annual budgetCA$1.4 billion (2020–21)
Minister responsible
Department executive
Child agencies
Websitewww.nrcan-rncan.gc.ca

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan; French: Ressources naturelles Canada; RNCan)[NB 1] is the department of the Government of Canada responsible for natural resources, energy, minerals and metals, forests, earth sciences, mapping, and remote sensing. It was formed in 1994 by amalgamating the Department of Energy, Mines and Resources with the Department of Forestry.

Under the Constitution Act, 1867, primary responsibility for natural resources falls to provincial governments, however, the federal government has jurisdiction over off-shore resources, trade and commerce in natural resources, statistics, international relations, and boundaries. The department administers federal legislation relating to natural resources, including energy, forests, minerals and metals. The department also collaborates with American and Mexican government scientists, along with the Commission for Environmental Cooperation, to produce the North American Environmental Atlas, which is used to depict and track environmental issues for a continental perspective.

The current minister of natural resources is Jonathan Wilkinson. The department is governed by the Resources and Technical Surveys Act and the Department of Natural Resources Act.

Structure[edit]

The department currently has these sectors:

  • Corporate Management and Services Sector
  • Land and Minerals Sector
  • Strategic Policy and Innovation Sector
  • Low Carbon Energy Sector
  • Energy Technology Sector
  • Strategic Petroleum Policy and Investment Office
  • Canadian Forest Service
  • Indigenous Affairs and Reconciliation Sector
  • Office of the Chief Scientist
  • Major Projects Management Office
  • Communications and Portfolio Sector
  • Corporate Management and Services Sector
  • Legal Services
  • Audit and Evaluation Branch
  • Geographical Names Board of Canada
  • Space Weather Canada[2]

The following sub-agencies are attached to the department:

Related legislation[edit]

Acts for which Natural Resources Canada has responsibility

  • Arctic Waters Pollution Prevention Act
  • Canada Foundation for Sustainable Development Technology Act
  • Canada Labour Code
  • Canada Lands Surveyors Act
  • Canada Lands Surveys Act
  • Canada-Newfoundland Atlantic Accord Implementation Act
  • Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Petroleum Resources Accord Implementation Act
  • Canada Oil and Gas Operations Act
  • Canada Petroleum Resources Act
  • Canadian Energy Regulator Act
  • Canadian Ownership and Control Determination Act
  • Cape Breton Development Corporation Act
  • Cape Breton Development Corporation Divestiture Authorization and Dissolution Act
  • Cooperative Energy Act
  • Department of Natural Resources Act
  • Energy Administration Act
  • Energy Efficiency Act
  • Energy Supplies Emergency Act
  • Explosives Act
  • Export and Import of Rough Diamonds Act
  • Forestry Act
  • Hibernia Development Project Act
  • International Boundary Commission Act
  • Northern Pipeline Act
  • Nuclear Energy Act
  • Nuclear Fuel Waste Act
  • Nuclear Liability Act
  • Nuclear Safety and Control Act
  • Oil Substitution and Conservation Act
  • Resources and Technical Surveys Act

Not in force[edit]

  • Greenhouse Gas Technology Investment Fund Act

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ Natural Resources Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Natural Resources (French: Ministère des Ressources naturelles).

References[edit]

  1. ^ "GC InfoBase". www.tbs-sct.canada.ca. Retrieved 2022-10-18.
  2. ^ Smith, Marie-Danielle (30 December 2017). "Forty years ago, she pioneered Canada's space weather programs. Now, they might prevent another stone age". The National Post. Retrieved 7 January 2019.

External links[edit]