Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Veterans Affairs Canada 2016 - 2017
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 Veterans Affairs Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2017.
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:
Veterans Affairs Canada exists to repay the nation's debt of gratitude toward those whose courageous efforts have given us this legacy, and have contributed to our growth as a nation. VAC's mandate stems from laws and regulations. Among the more significant is the Department of Veterans Affairs Act, which charges the Minister of Veterans Affairs with the following responsibilities: "...the care, treatment, or re-establishment in civil life of any person who served in the Canadian Forces or merchant navy or in the naval, army or air forces or merchant navies of Her Majesty, of any person who has otherwise engaged in pursuits relating to war, and of any other person designated ... and the care of the dependants or survivors of any person referred to ..." Further detailed information on VAC’s mandate, priorities, and program activities can be found in the Departmental Results Report and the Departmental Plan at: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/about-us/reports.
Veterans Affairs Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2017
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2017 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2016 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$7,577.00 |
$5,901.00 |
$1,676.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$19,412.00 |
$18,678.00 |
$1,676.00 |
| A. Total travel | $26,989.00 |
$5,901.00 |
$734.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $154.00 |
$118.00 |
$36.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $70.00 |
$57.00 |
$13.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $27,213.00 |
$24,754.00 |
$2,459.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $9.00 |
$0.00 |
$9.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: 7577 Compared to fiscal year 2015-2016, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by 28%. This increase is mainly due to increases in costs to support core mandate activities.;
Non-Public Servants: 19412 Compared to fiscal year 2015-2016, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants remained relatively consistent with a slight increase of 4% mainly due to an increase in Veteran’s health-related travel.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2015-2016, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by 30.5%. An increased focus on stakeholder engagement activities regarding policy and research was the main driver of increased hospitality costs.
Conference fees:
Compared to last year’s report, departmental conference fee expenditures increased by 22.8% in 2016-2017. The increase from the previous year was mostly attributed to our increased involvement in external events, where exchange of ideas and learnings were identified toward the enhancement of our services and in support to one of our identified priorities "Excellence in Ombudsmanry"Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2015-2016, departmental expenditures for international travel by the Minister and Minister’s Staff increased slightly due to attendance at overseas events in Europe in 2017.