CNSC President Rumina Velshi joins Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy
On March 8th, 2023, Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy marked International Women’s Day by welcoming a new member to its leadership network: Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) President Rumina Velshi. President Velshi became the 82nd leader of a nuclear policy organization to join the Gender Champions in Nuclear Policy network, and stands alongside the Chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission in advancing gender equity among nuclear regulators.
As a Gender Champion, President Velshi will uphold the Panel Parity Pledge, and implement four SMARTIE commitments:
- Increase overall representation of women in the professional category by 13% from the 2020-21 data by 2024.
- Maintain a representation of women in management to a minimum of 48.2% to align with the Canadian Labour Market Availability of women.
- Continue to give capable and qualified women a fair chance to compete for leadership positions by broadening talent pools, having diverse interview board panels, removing gendered language in job advertisements, and encouraging women to apply.
- Strengthen the Women in STEM pipeline by conducting activities aimed at youth and students.
“I am proud to be a Gender Champion in Nuclear Policy. It rests on us – as leaders, as decision makers, as influencers – to do everything in our power to encourage women to consider pursuing a career in nuclear. Gender equity is more than a priority for the CNSC, it is a core value that helps to define our organization.” said President Velshi.
The Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission regulates the use of nuclear energy and materials to protect health, safety, security and the environment; to implement Canada’s international commitments on the peaceful use of nuclear energy; and to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.
Under the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, CNSC’s mandate involves four major areas:
- regulation of the development, production and use of nuclear energy in Canada to protect health, safety and the environment
- regulation of the production, possession, use and transport of nuclear substances, and the production, possession and use of prescribed equipment and prescribed information
- implementation of measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances, including measures respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices
- dissemination of scientific, technical and regulatory information concerning the activities of CNSC, and the effects on the environment, on the health and safety of persons, of the development, production, possession, transport and use of nuclear substances
You can find the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission on Twitter @CNSC_CCSN