Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Environment and Climate Change Canada 2011 - 2012
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 Environment and Climate Change Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2012.
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:
Environment Canada plays an important role every day and has established a legacy of action on behalf of the environment since it was first created on June 11, 1971, from elements of the Government of Canada such as the Meteorological Service of Canada (established in 1871) and the Canadian Wildlife Service (established in 1947). EC’s Program Activity Architecture (PAA) included three Strategic Outcomes that support our responsibility for providing Canadians with a clean, safe and sustainable environment: Threats to Canadians and their environment from pollution are minimized; Canadians are equipped to make informed decisions on changing weather, water and climate conditions; and Canada’s natural environment is conserved and restored for present and future generations. EC has authority under numerous pieces of legislation which affect how the department operates. Further information on the mandate, legislation, roles, responsibilities and program activities of Environment Canada can be found in Section I of EC's Reports on Plans and Priorities.
Environment and Climate Change Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2012
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2012 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2011 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$27,754.00 |
$33,359.00 |
-$5,605.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$2,110.00 |
$2,331.00 |
-$5,605.00 |
| A. Total travel | $29,864.00 |
$33,359.00 |
-$221.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $580.00 |
$518.00 |
$62.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $361.00 |
$626.00 |
-$265.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $30,805.00 |
$36,834.00 |
-$6,029.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $59.00 |
$135.00 |
-$76.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: 27754 Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures by public servants have decreased by $5.6M or 16.8%.;
Non-Public Servants: 2110 Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants have decreased by $221K or 9.48%.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental hospitality expenditures have increased by $62K or 11.97%. This increase was due to a one-time net hospitality cost of $152K for expenses associated with the 2011 Salish Ecosystem Conference that took place in October 2011.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental conference fees expenditures have decreased by $265K or 42.3% mainly due to the government's ongoing commitment to identify ways to reduce operating and program costs. Effort has been put on achieving efficiencies via reductions to budget for conferences.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental international travel expenditures by the minister and his/her staff have decreased by $76K or 56.3%