Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
National Defence 2015 - 2016
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 National Defence for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016.
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 National Defence Act establishes DND and the Canadian Armed Forces as separate entities, operating with an integrated National Defence Headquarters, as they pursue their primary responsibility of providing defence for Canada and Canadians. On behalf of the people of Canada, Defence stands ready to perform three key roles: defend Canada - by delivering excellence at home; defend North America - by being a strong and reliable partner with the United States in the defence of the continent; and contribute to international peace and security - by projecting leadership abroad.
The Defence mandate is carried out with the support of a group of related organizations and agencies within the portfolio of the Minister of National Defence. For further details on selected Defence Portfolio organizations, please refer to National Defence and Canadian Armed Forces website. For further information on the legislative framework within which Defence operates, please see the DND Report on Plans and Priorities.
National Defence Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2016
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2016 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2015 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$259,562.00 |
$250,792.00 |
$8,770.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$9,051.00 |
$15,930.00 |
$8,770.00 |
| A. Total travel | $268,613.00 |
$250,792.00 |
-$6,879.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $1,902.00 |
$1,488.00 |
$414.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $1,006.00 |
$1,157.00 |
-$151.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $271,521.00 |
$269,367.00 |
$2,154.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $288.00 |
$129.00 |
$159.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-15, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants decreased by $6.9M. This decrease was mainly due to reductions in contractor travel and reducing the number of meetings requiring travel.
Compared to fiscal year 2014-15, departmental travel expenditures by public servants (including military members) increased by $8.8M, mainly due to increased travel in support of international military operations and exercises (e.g. Middle East and Ukraine, along with exercises in the Pacific and Europe), liaison with foreign militaries and governments, and other international commitments to facilitate the Government of Canada’s strategic priorities. Unfavourable international currency exchange rates also impacted expenditures.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-15, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $414K. This increase was mainly due to increased operations-related hospitality and international events where the department is engaging in either operational/strategic level engagements with our allies and/or military diplomacy to facilitate the Government of Canada’s strategic priorities. Unfavourable international currency exchange rates also impacted expenditures.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-15, departmental conference expenditures decreased by $151K. This decrease was mainly due to ongoing efforts within the department to find economies wherever possible; such as utilizing alternate methods to face to face meetings (e.g. virtual presence), sending minimal delegations, and reducing the number of meetings requiring travel.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-15, departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister and Minister’s staff increased by $159K for fiscal year 2015-16. Several factors influenced the variance in expenditures. Approximately 10% of the international travel costs are related to travel by previous Ministers offices. The remaining related to the introduction of a new Minister of National Defence (and staff) in 2015 and increased requirements for international travel by the MND to represent the Government of Canada for international military, government and diplomatic obligations.