Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Environment and Climate Change Canada 2012 - 2013
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, 2013.
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, 2013
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2013 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2012 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$27,360.00 |
$27,754.00 |
-$394.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$1,674.00 |
$2,110.00 |
-$394.00 |
| A. Total travel | $29,034.00 |
$27,754.00 |
-$436.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $381.00 |
$580.00 |
-$199.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $390.00 |
$361.00 |
$29.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $29,805.00 |
$30,805.00 |
-$1,000.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $102.00 |
$59.00 |
$43.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: 27360 Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental travel expenditures by public servants have decreased by $394K or 1.4%.;
Non-Public Servants: 1674 Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants have decreased by $435K or 20.62%.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental hospitality expenditures have decreased by $199K or 34.3%. Effort has been put on achieving efficiencies via reductions to budgets for hospitality.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental conference fees expenditures have increased by $29K or 8.0%. This is due to the fact that during the first quarter of 2011-2012, Environment Canada was operating under Governor General Special Warrants though the Federal election period and restrictions were placed on spending.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister and his/her staff have increased by $43K or 72.9%. The Minister and his/her staff participated in several conferences that increased the international travel expenses such as the Conference of the Parties (COP 18) meeting held in Doha, Qatar from November 26 to December 8, 2012, the Ministerial Meeting in Seoul, the Major Economies Forum (MEF) on Energy and Climate in Rome and the International Conference on Climate Change in London.