Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Fisheries and Oceans Canada 2019 - 2020
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 Fisheries and Oceans Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2020.
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:
Canada has an abundance of ecologically diverse and economically significant freshwater and marine and coastal areas. The core business of Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the Canadian Coast Guard is to protect Canada’s three oceans, its coasts, waterways and fisheries, and to ensure these remain healthy for future generations. Our work is part of the daily lives of Canadians.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada ensures commercial vessels and recreational boaters can safely navigate our waters and is there to save lives and protect our environment when emergencies arise. The department also sustainably manages fisheries and aquaculture and works with fishers, coastal and Indigenous communities to enable their continued prosperity from fish and seafood and ensures that Canada’s oceans and other aquatic ecosystems are protected from negative impacts.
Fisheries and Oceans Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2020
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2020 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2019 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$54,025.00 |
$50,721.00 |
$3,304.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$5,322.00 |
$5,131.00 |
$191.00 |
Internal governance |
$3,441.00 |
$3,272.00 |
$169.00 |
Training |
$10,615.00 |
$9,711.00 |
$904.00 |
Other |
$2,145.00 |
$2,288.00 |
-$143.00 |
| A. Total travel | $75,548.00 |
$71,123.00 |
$4,425.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $542.00 |
$516.00 |
$26.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $353.00 |
$356.00 |
-$3.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $76,443.00 |
$71,995.00 |
$4,448.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $0.00 |
$110.00 |
-$110.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2018-2019, total departmental travel expenditures increased by $4.4 million or 6.2%, mainly due to increased core mandate activities and training in support of program delivery. This is the result of organizational growth and additional funding supporting multiple existing or new programs or initiatives, such as: Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), Southern Resident Killer Whale (SRKW), Small Craft Harbours, Marine Mammal Hub, implementation of the new Fisheries Act, Aquatic Invasive Species Program, Species at Risk Program and Fish & Fish Habitat Protection Program.
Travel requirement increased for stakeholder engagement meetings with several Indigenous groups and organizations, (Fisheries Joint Management Committee (FJMC) and Pangnirtung Beluga Monitoring in the Arctic Region), throughout various regions (Arctic, Pacific and Atlantic) to support Rights Reconciliation Agreements and Indigenous Groups Capacity Building.
The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) also incurred more costs for travel related to engagement with Nisga'a and Haida Gwaii Nations to facilitate Search and Rescue (SAR) exercise training programs, visits of numerous stations for Small Fleet (inspections and maintenance), as well as crew changes and onboarding of CCGS Captain Molly Kool vessel, which required Arctic season travel.
In addition, department-wide travel expenditures related to training were higher, mainly due to an increase in both contractors and employees attending project specific courses related to such areas as Incident Command System (ICS), National Fisheries Intelligence Service (NFIS), Conservation & Protection, Telemetry & Scale ageing, New Freshwater Habitat, and associated with organizational growth, as well as Regional and Nationally-endorsed initiatives and Health and Safety training for Fishery Officers. CCG College saw an increase in delivery of operational training, recruitment officers and officer cadets in the Officer Training program.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2018-2019, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $26 thousand (5%) mainly due to additional funding, meetings, consultations and events related to key initiatives such as: the first Ghost Gear Summit, Reconciliation Mandate, Pacific Salmon Treaty (PST), Northern Shelf bioregion marine protected area (NSB MPA) Network Advisory Forum 2020, Great Slave Lake First Nation Fisheries and a Performance Measures Workshop to strengthen and enhance program delivery in the North.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2018-2019, there was no significant variance for conference fees. A minor net decrease of $2600 can be attributed to fewer attendees to some conferences and others not occurring this year.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2018-2019, departmental expenditures for international travel by the Minister and the Minister’s exempt staff decreased by $110 thousand, due to the change of minister, the elections and trip cancellations in March due to Covid. These resulted in the absence of International travel for the Minister and Minister’s Staff in 2019-20.