Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Veterans Affairs Canada 2018 - 2019
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, 2019.
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, 2019
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$35,153.00 |
$26,982.00 |
$8,171.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$195.00 |
$151.00 |
$44.00 |
Internal governance |
$482.00 |
$308.00 |
$174.00 |
Training |
$4,671.00 |
$1,974.00 |
$2,697.00 |
Other |
$30.00 |
$324.00 |
-$294.00 |
| A. Total travel | $40,531.00 |
$29,739.00 |
$10,792.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $153.00 |
$75.00 |
$78.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $103.00 |
$62.00 |
$41.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $40,787.00 |
$29,876.00 |
$10,911.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $66.00 |
$39.00 |
$27.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Ongoing management oversight in conjunction with control mechanisms are utilized to ensure the above-noted expenses are managed in an effective, efficient and economical manner. The increased need for spending on travel, hospitality, and conferences were required to effectively operationalize the Department’s mandate and work towards the implementation of the Pension for Life suite of programs, effective April 1, 2019. As well during fiscal year 2018-19, the Department commemorated significant military anniversaries, including the 65th Anniversary of the Korean War Armistice, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Amiens in France, and the 100th Anniversary of the First World War Armistice in Belgium. Compared to fiscal year 2017-18, total departmental travel expenditures increased by 37% overall for 2018-19. Operational travel comprised the most significant increase for the Department as it increased by almost $8.2M over the previous fiscal year. This increase was primarily attributable to the legislative requirement to reimburse Veterans for their travel costs incurred to attend medical appointments or assessments in support of their benefits. While this increase is significant, these expenditures are in-line with the increased program expenditures for Veterans health-related services.
In addition to the increase in Veterans travel for this fiscal year, there was also an increase in the amount of employee travel related to training as a result of the implementation of Pension for Life. Previously in 2017-18, total travel associated with employee training totalled $1,974,000 for the entire Department. With the introduction of the Pension for Life suite of programs in 2018-19, employee training-related travel increased by 137% for the year. Of that increase, over $1,865,000 in costs were incurred exclusively for travel costs related to Pension for Life employee training. Additionally, another $314,000 in travel was correlated to supporting the core mandate in the implementation of Pension for Life.
Hospitality:
In comparison to fiscal year 2017-18, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $78,000 overall. The most significant hospitality expenditures in 2018-19 were due to overseas commemorative events, totalling almost $44,000 of the overall hospitality costs for the Department.
In addition to commemorative events, almost $21,000 in hospitality expenditures were attributable to events held across the country related to the implementation of the Pension for Life suite of programs. An additional $16,000 of hospitality expenditures were incurred as the result of stakeholder meetings. The Communications Outreach Renewal Initiative fund also totalled over $14,000 in hospitality expenditures in the 2018-19 fiscal year.
Conference fees:
Compared to last year’s report, departmental conference fee expenditures increased by $41,000 in 2018-19. The increase was mostly attributed to professional development conferences for Health Professionals within the Department. There was an overall increase in the number of Health Professionals in the Department in 2018-19, as well as a rise in the number of existing Health Professionals pursuing their continuing education credits. In the previous fiscal year, Health Professional conferences only accounted for $7,000 in conference fees, while in 2018-19 there were over $41,000 in Health Professional conference fee expenditures.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2017-18, departmental expenditures for international travel by the Minister and Minister’s Staff increased due to an increase in the number of overseas commemorative events in 2018-19. These events include the 65th anniversary of the Korean War, the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Amiens in France, and the 100th Anniversary of the First World War Armistice in Belgium.