Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Veterans Affairs Canada 2017 - 2018
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, 2018.
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, 2018
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2017 Note 1 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$26,982.00 |
- | - |
Key stakeholders |
$151.00 |
- | - |
Internal governance |
$308.00 |
- | - |
Training |
$1,974.00 |
- | - |
Other |
$324.00 |
- | - |
| A. Total travel | $29,739.00 |
$26,989.00 |
$2,750.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $75.00 |
$154.00 |
-$79.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $62.00 |
$70.00 |
-$8.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $29,876.00 |
$27,213.00 |
$2,663.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $39.00 |
$9.00 |
$30.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2016-2017, total departmental travel expenditures remained relatively consistent with a slight increase of 10%. This increase is mainly due an increase in Veteran’s health-related travel.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2016-2017, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by 51%. The decrease was mostly attributed to an increase in the number of stakeholder engagement activities which did not require hospitality compared to the previous year.
Conference fees:
Compared to last year’s report, departmental conference fee expenditures decreased by 8% in 2017-2018. The decrease was mostly attributed to certain conferences that did not occur in the fiscal year, as compared to 2016-17.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2016-2017, departmental expenditures for international travel by the Minister and Minister’s Staff increased due to an escalation of commemorative events in 2017-18 (e.g. 100th anniversary of Vimy in April 2017, Dieppe in August 2017, and Passchendaele in November 2017).