Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Employment and Social Development Canada 2014 - 2015
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 Employment and Social Development Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2015.
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:
ESDC's mission is to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives and to improve Canadians' quality of life. The Department delivers a range of programs and services that affect Canadians throughout their lives through three business lines: Employment and Social Development; Labour Program; and Service Canada. Included in its core roles are responsibilities for the design and delivery of some of the Government of Canada's most well-known programs and services, such as: Old Age Security; Canada Pension Plan; Employment Insurance; Canada Student Loans and Grants; the Canada Education Savings Program; National Child Benefit; Wage Earners Protection Program; and Passport Services. The Labour Program is responsible for overseeing federal labour regulatory responsibilities, including facilitating compliance with occupational health and safety, labour standards and employment equity legislation, as well as assisting trade unions and employers in the negotiation of collective agreements and their renewal in federally regulated workplaces. The Labour Program also represents Canada in international labour organizations and negotiates and implements labour provisions in the context of trade liberalization initiatives. Through Service Canada, the Department helps Canadians access departmental programs as well as other Government of Canada programs and services. Finally, through grants and contributions, the Department provides funding to other levels of government and organizations within the voluntary and private sectors, educators and community organizations to support projects that meet the labour market and social development needs of Canadians.
Employment and Social Development Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2015
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2015 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2014 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Public Servants |
$20,458.00 |
$22,334.00 |
-$1,876.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$2,061.00 |
$1,696.00 |
-$1,876.00 |
| A. Total travel | $22,519.00 |
$22,334.00 |
$365.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $218.00 |
$197.00 |
$21.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $59.00 |
$42.00 |
$17.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $22,796.00 |
$24,269.00 |
-$1,473.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $132.00 |
$154.00 |
-$22.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Public Servants: 20458 Compared to fiscal year 2013-2014, departmental travel expenditures by public servants decreased 8% mainly due to using suitable alternatives and leveraging available technology, such as net meetings, video and teleconferencing, and on-line or other training tools to reduce and/or minimize travel costs.;
Non-Public Servants: 2061 Compared to fiscal year 2013-2014, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased 22% mainly due to increased consultation and engagement activities with non-public servants to help develop better, more informed and more effective policies and programs for Canadians and changes to the Receiver General coding requirements that now isolate travel costs of contractors.
Hospitality:
Compared to fiscal year 2013-2014, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by 11% due to Increased costs in support of consultation and engagement activities.
Conference fees:
Compared to fiscal year 2013-2014, departmental conference fees expenditures increased by 40% due to an increase in conference participation.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared to fiscal 2013-2014, departmental international expenditures by the ministers and their staff decreased overall by 14% as a result of fewer travel requirements during fiscal year 2014-2015 compared to the previous fiscal year.