Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

Military Grievances External Review Committee 2022 - 2023

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 Military Grievances External Review Committee for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2023.

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 raison d’être of the Committee is to provide an independent and external review of military grievances. Section 29 of the National Defence Act provides a statutory right for an officer or a non-commissioned member who has been aggrieved, to grieve a decision, an act or an omission in the administration of the affairs of the Canadian Armed Forces. The importance of this broad right cannot be overstated since it is, with certain narrow exceptions, the only formal complaint process available to the Canadian Armed Forces. The Committee is an independent administrative tribunal reporting to Parliament through the Minister of National Defence. The Committee reviews grievances referred to it pursuant to Section 29 of the National Defence Act and provides findings and recommendations to the Chief of the Defence Staff and the Canadian Armed Forces member who submitted the grievance. The Committee also has the obligation to deal with all matters before it as informally and expeditiously as the circumstances and the considerations of fairness permit. The Committee operates under two core responsibilities: Independent Review of Military Grievances, and Internal Services.

Military Grievances External Review Committee Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2023

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Expenditure category	Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2023 ($ thousands)	Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2022 ($ thousands)	Variance ($ thousands)
Travel
Operational activities	$11.70	$0.90	$10.80
Key stakeholders	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Internal governance	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Training	$0.10	$0.20	-$0.10
Other	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
A. Total travel	$11.80	$1.10	$10.70
B. Hospitality	$0.80	$0.00	$0.80
C. Conference fees	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Total [A+B+C]	$12.60	$1.10	$11.50
International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel)	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00

Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year

Total travel:

In fiscal year 2022-23, travel expenses increased compared to 2021-22, primarily due to the resumption of travel activities that were previously on hold or limited during the Covid-19 pandemic. However, expenses are similar to the fiscal year before the pandemic.

Hospitality:

In fiscal year 2022-23, hospitality expenses increased compared to 2021-22, primarily due to the resumption of employee gathering activities that had been significantly reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic. Although we see an increase in 2022-23, expenses are lower than the fiscal year before the pandemic.

Conference fees:

In fiscal year 2021-22 and 2022-23, the Committee did not incur conference fees expense.