Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada 2024 - 2025
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 Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2025.
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:
The Department supports the sector from the farmer to the consumer, from the farm to global markets, through all phases of producing, processing and marketing of farm, food and agri-based products. Agriculture is a shared jurisdiction in Canada, and the Department works closely with provincial and territorial governments to develop and deliver policies, programs and services.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2025
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2025 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2024 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$3,902.00 |
$4,542.00 |
-$640.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$944.00 |
$1,075.00 |
-$131.00 |
Internal governance |
$226.00 |
$257.00 |
-$31.00 |
Training |
$1,318.00 |
$1,403.00 |
-$85.00 |
Other |
$478.00 |
$435.00 |
$43.00 |
| A. Total travel | $6,868.00 |
$7,712.00 |
-$844.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $235.00 |
$171.00 |
$64.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $233.00 |
$301.00 |
-$68.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $7,336.00 |
$8,184.00 |
-$848.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $77.00 |
$222.00 |
-$145.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2023-24, departmental travel expenditures in 2024-25 decreased by $845 thousand. This reduction is due to effective measures implemented to support the Refocusing Government Spending initiative, resulting in a year‑over‑year decrease of more than 20% in overall travel volume.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2023-24, departmental hospitality expenditures in 2024-25 increased by $64 thousand, driven by heightened activities in the Indo-Pacific region and the United States.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2023-24, departmental conference expenditures in 2024-25 decreased by $68 thousand. This reduction reflects cost-saving measures under the Refocusing Government Spending (RGS) initiative, including sending fewer attendees to conferences.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
The agriculture and agrifood sector is export reliant. Ministerial travel aims to build and strengthen relationships with trading partners and to promote Canada’s high quality, safe agricultural products abroad. The following events were carried out to achieve this goal:
• Meeting with U.S. officials and stakeholders to strengthen Canada’s relationship in the U.S. Midwest (Iowa/Minneapolis, June 2024).
• Meeting with Chinese industry leaders, importers, and stakeholders to advocate for improved market access and a fair, open, and sustainable trading environment for Canadian agriculture (Beijing, November 2024).
• Meeting with U.S. officials and stakeholders to reinforce the importance of strong bilateral trade relations (Washington, February 2025).