Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2018 - 2019
As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2019.
Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.
Mandate:
The Department supports the agriculture and agri-food sector from the farmer to the consumer, from the farm to global markets, through all phases of producing, processing and marketing of farm, food and agri-based products. Agriculture is a shared jurisdiction in Canada, and the Department works closely with provincial and territorial governments in the development and delivery of policies, programs and services.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2019
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$6,669.00 |
$9,200.00 |
-$2,531.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$1,327.00 |
$466.00 |
$861.00 |
Internal governance |
$530.00 |
$190.00 |
$340.00 |
Training |
$1,721.00 |
$778.00 |
$943.00 |
Other |
$681.00 |
$598.00 |
$83.00 |
| A. Total travel | $10,928.00 |
$11,232.00 |
-$304.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $441.00 |
$442.00 |
-$1.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $140.00 |
$198.00 |
-$58.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $11,509.00 |
$11,872.00 |
-$363.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $153.00 |
$109.00 |
$44.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-2018, departmental travel expenditures in 2018-2019 decreased by $303K or 2.7%, mainly attributed to reduced travel for operational activities in an effort to remain within the annual travel budgets, partially offset by increased expenditures due to a reclassification of scientific presentations from operational activities to training, negotiations related to Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), as well as collaborative research and development agreements for the Canadian Agricultural Partnership (CAP) and Living Labs Initiative.
Hospitality:
Departmental hospitality expenditures in 2018-2019 varied only marginally from 2017-2018, with a decrease of $1K.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-2018, departmental conference fees in 2018-2019 decreased by $58K or 29.1%, mainly due to implementation of cost reduction measures such as reducing the number of attendees and taking advantage of early bird pricing in conferences.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-2018, Minister and Minister’s Office staff international travel expenditures in 2018-2019 increased by $44K or 40.7%. In 2018-2019, the Minister and Minister’s Office staff participated in several trade missions to further the Government’s commitment to growing the economy and strengthening agricultural relationships to enhance market opportunities. This included attending and speaking at the World Meat Congress in Dallas, Texas and participating at the G20 Agriculture Ministerial Meetings and outreach in Argentina and Chile (July/August 2018). To maximize the use of resources and better support the Government’s goal of increasing agriculture, seafood, and agri-food exports to $75 billion by 2025 and to better support the Government’s trade and market access agenda and industry in advancing new markets for Canadian products, the Minister travelled to meet with key stakeholders in China (May and November 2018) and in Washington, D.C. (February 2019). To help the sector take advantage of the Canada-European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) opportunities, the Minister engaged key industry and government officials, including attending high-level meetings with European Union Commissioners and representatives of European member states in Spain, Belgium and Italy (October 2018).