Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Canadian Transportation Agency 2023 - 2024
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 Canadian Transportation Agency for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024.
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 Canadian Transportation Agency (Agency) is an independent regulator and quasi-judicial tribunal with the powers of a superior court. It operates within the context of the very large and complex Canadian transportation system.
The Canada Transportation Act includes the National Transportation Policy, which guides the Agency. It states that competition and market forces are the prime agents in providing viable and effective transportation services and that regulation may be required to meet public policy objectives that cannot be achieved by competition and market forces alone.
The Agency has specific powers assigned to it under this legislation:
• It is an economic regulator of modes of transportation under federal jurisdiction, and develops and applies ground rules that establish the rights and responsibilities of transportation service providers and users and that level the playing field among competitors. These rules can be binding regulations, guidelines, or codes of practice.
• It is a tribunal that hears and resolves disputes like a court. It resolves disputes between transportation service providers and their clients or neighbours, using various tools from facilitation and mediation to arbitration and adjudication.
The Agency's responsibilities are:
• To help ensure that the national transportation system runs efficiently and smoothly in the interests of all Canadians: those who work and invest in it; the producers, shippers, travellers, and businesses who rely on it; and the communities where it operates.
• To provide consumer protection for air passengers.
• To protect the human right of persons with disabilities to an accessible transportation network.
Canadian Transportation Agency Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2024
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2024 ($ thousands) |
|---|---|
| Travel | |
Operational activities |
$189.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$114.00 |
Internal governance |
$0.00 |
Training |
$96.00 |
Other |
$1.00 |
| A. Total travel | $400.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $16.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $12.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $428.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2022-23, the Agency's overall travel expenditures in 2023-24 increased by $109K. This increase is primarily attributable to the following:
• In December 2023, the Agency participated in the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Air Services Negotiation Event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which provided a central meeting place to conduct bilateral, regional or plurilateral air services negotiations and consultations.
• In order to prepare for a potential expansion of the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) to small transportation service providers, during the summer of 2023, the Agency’s Centre of Expertise for Accessible Transportation travelled to northern and remote communities in order to have discussion meetings with industry representatives and members of the disability community to learn about the experiences of persons with disabilities when travelling with small transportation service providers and the operational realities and challenges these providers have in delivering accessibility services.
• In 2023-24, the Agency invested in the professional development of its employees. Certain training activities required employees to travel (i.e., leadership training for the Agency’s management team, etc.).
• Following the Budget 2023 announcement, the Agency also increased its enforcement and compliance activities, resulting in an increase in travel expenditures.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2022-23, the Agency's overall hospitality expenditures in 2023-24 increased marginally by $9K as a result of the changing status of the COVID-19 pandemic. With the easing of public health measures related to the pandemic, various in-person meetings resumed whereby hospitality was provided in the normal course of business. This corresponds to the Agency’s pre-pandemic levels.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2022-23, the Agency's overall conference expenditures in 2023-24 decreased by $8K. This decrease is primarily attributable to the fact that the Agency invested in the professional development of its employees, thus increasing training expenditures and reducing conference expenditures.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
N/A