Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission
Regulatory Framework
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The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) regulates the entire Canadian nuclear sector. To safely regulate an evolving nuclear industry, the CNSC maintains an effective and flexible regulatory framework.
What is the CNSC’s Regulatory Framework?
The CNSC's regulatory framework consists of laws passed by Parliament that govern the regulation of Canada's nuclear industry, and regulations, licences and documents that the CNSC uses to regulate the industry. These documents fall into two broad categories: those that set out requirements, and those that provide guidance on requirements. The CNSC is committed to providing regulatory instruments that achieve clarity of its requirements. The CNSC considers published regulatory and guidance documents to be living documents, so your feedback is welcome at any time.
Requirements elements are mandatory. Licensees or applicants must meet these requirements to obtain or retain a licence or certificate to use nuclear materials or operate a nuclear facility.
Guidance provides direction to licensees and applicants on how to meet the requirements set out in the CNSC’s regulations, regulatory documents and licences; and techniques used by CNSC staff in evaluating specific problems, or data needed in the review of applications for permits or licences.
All regulatory or guidance documents issued after December 2009 are published under the CNSC's new regulatory framework as described above.
Read the Regulatory Framework fact sheet for more information.
The CNSC’s Regulatory Framework Plan (the Plan) is the result of continuous, whole-of-CNSC analysis of the organization’s published requirements and guidance, in the context of ongoing changes in the nuclear industry. The Plan is in place to ensure that the CNSC continues to provide the information required to make sure its requirements are clear and easily understood.
During the fiscal year ending March 31, 2011, the CNSC completed 16 regulatory framework projects, consisting of regulatory amendments, regulatory documents, guidance documents, INFO-documents and a discussion paper.
