Linda J. Keen

Ms. Keen has been President of the CNSC since January 2001. She was named to the Commission in November 2000 and her term was renewed in November 2005. Ms. Keen’s extensive experience in science and management leadership has served to lead the CNSC into the 21st century, establishing a new approach to modern regulation of the nuclear industry in Canada. As President, she chairs a seven-member quasi-judicial administrative tribunal that sets regulatory policy and makes licensing decisions related to significant nuclear facilities. Other licensing decisions are delegated to the 670-member CNSC staff.

With 4,500 licences covering all aspects of the nuclear industry from mining to refining, power and research reactors to clinics and industrial uses, the CNSC provides strong regulatory oversight on behalf of Canadians. The CNSC is also the Canadian agency that implements measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances. The CNSC is crucial to Canada’s adherence to international agreements respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices.

Linda J. Keen is an Albertan. She received her B.Sc. (honours in chemistry) and M.Sc. (agriculture sciences) from the University of Alberta. After working as a chemist, she continued her career in three science-related fields: agriculture and agri-food, mining and currently, in the nuclear area. As a certified agrologist, Ms. Keen has worked in the private sector, for the International Development Research Centre in West Africa, for the Provinces of Alberta and British Columbia and for a British Columbia crown corporation, Expo ’86. Her agriculture work has encompassed a variety of roles including scientific research, trade policy and international marketing, culminating as the director general of strategic planning and coordination for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. After a period of time at Industry Canada where she spearheaded its approach to Team Canada and developed the Export Source Web interface, Ms. Keen was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Minerals and Metals at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan). In addition to heading the development of the Mining Sustainable Development Policy and the world-renowned CANMET laboratories, she led NRCan’s approaches to international affairs, policy and regulatory development. She was also responsible for the regulation of explosives in Canada and participated in the dual Task Forces on Risk Management and Risk Communications.

Ms. Keen was Chair of the International Nuclear Regulators Association (INRA) in 2003. She is currently the President of the Convention on Nuclear Safety, involving international peer review among its 65 signatory countries to ensure worldwide nuclear safety. Ms. Keen was also the Honorary Chair of the 2006 Women in Nuclear Conference, held in Canada for the first time, and the keynote speaker of the 2005 International Conference of Women in Science and Engineering held in Seoul, South Korea.

In January 2007, Ms. Keen was instrumental in establishing the Heads of Federal Administrative Tribunals Forum and is serving as the first Chair of this network. She was appointed in May 2007 as a director of the Canadian Council of Administrative Tribunals (CCAT).