Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Employment and Social Development Canada 2015 - 2016
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 Employment and Social Development Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.
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:
ESDC’s mission is to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives and to improve Canadians' quality of life. The Department delivers a range of programs and services that affect Canadians throughout their lives through three business lines: Employment and Social Development; Labour Program; and Service Canada. Included in its core roles are responsibilities for the design and delivery of some of the Government of Canada's most well-known programs and services, such as: Old Age Security; Canada Pension Plan; Employment Insurance; Canada Student Loans and Grants; the Canada Education Savings Program; Temporary Foreign Workers Program; Wage Earner Protection Program; and Passport Services. The Labour Program is responsible for overseeing federal labour regulatory responsibilities, including facilitating compliance with occupational health and safety, labour standards and employment equity legislation, as well as assisting trade unions and employers in the negotiation of collective agreements and their renewal in federally regulated workplaces. The Labour Program also represents Canada in international labour organizations and negotiates and implements labour provisions in the context of trade liberalization initiatives. Through Service Canada, the Department helps Canadians access departmental programs as well as other Government of Canada programs and services. Finally, through grants and contributions, the Department provides funding to other levels of government and organizations within the voluntary and private sectors, educators and community organizations to support projects that meet the labour market and social development needs of Canadians.
Employment and Social Development Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2016
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2016 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2015 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$20,508.00 |
$20,458.00 |
$50.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$2,482.00 |
$2,061.00 |
$50.00 |
| A. Total travel | $22,990.00 |
$20,458.00 |
$421.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $203.00 |
$218.00 |
-$15.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $125.00 |
$59.00 |
$66.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $23,318.00 |
$22,796.00 |
$522.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $14.20 |
$132.00 |
-$117.80 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: 20508 Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by only 0.2% mainly due to continuing to use suitable alternatives and leveraging available technology, such as virtual meetings (video and teleconferencing), and on-line or other training tools to reduce and/or minimize travel costs. ;
Non-Public Servants: 2482 Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased by 20% mainly due to the increase in NPS travel is due primarily to travel related to a major IT project. This increase is partially offset by a substantial decrease of other NPS travel of 18.4%.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by 7% mainly due to keeping hospitality costs to a minimum and continuing to promote a cost-conscious culture.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental conference fees expenditures increased by 111.86% ($66 thousand) mainly due to the engagement agenda introduced after the appointment of the new government.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal 2014-2015, departmental international expenditures by the Ministers and their staff decreased overall by 90% as a result of fewer travel requirements during fiscal year 2015-2016 compared to the previous fiscal year due to the federal election. Additionally, the mandate of former Minister Kenney included multiculturalism.