Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Natural Resources Canada 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 Natural Resources Canada 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:
NRCan works to improve the quality of life of Canadians by ensuring that our natural resources are developed sustainably, providing a source of jobs, prosperity and opportunity, while preserving our environment and respecting our communities and Indigenous peoples.
The Minister of Natural Resources has responsibilities in relation to more than 30 acts of Parliament. The Minister’s core powers, duties and functions are set forth in the Department of Natural Resources Act, the Resources and Technical Surveys Act, the Forestry Act, the Energy Efficiency Act and the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act. The Department also works in areas of shared responsibilities with provinces, which includes the environment, public safety, economic development, science and technology, and consultations with Indigenous peoples. To fulfil its responsibilities, the Department relies on a number of instruments (e.g. policy, regulation, statutory transfers, grants and contributions) and key activities (e.g. science and technology, partnerships, and communications).
NRCan has offices and laboratories across the country. Employees work in regional offices from coast to coast to coast including: Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Western and Pacific Regions, Northern Canada and the National Capital Region.
For more information on the Department’s organizational mandate letter commitments, see the Minister's Mandate letter.
Natural Resources Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2024
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2024 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2023 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$9,642.00 |
$7,491.00 |
$2,151.00 |
Key stakeholders |
$2,370.00 |
$2,432.00 |
-$62.00 |
Internal governance |
$219.00 |
$134.00 |
$85.00 |
Training |
$847.00 |
$664.00 |
$183.00 |
Other |
$613.00 |
$530.00 |
$83.00 |
| A. Total travel | $13,691.00 |
$11,251.00 |
$2,440.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $199.00 |
$191.00 |
$8.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $599.00 |
$706.00 |
-$107.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $14,489.00 |
$12,148.00 |
$2,341.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $126.00 |
$118.00 |
$8.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
Compared with fiscal year 2022-23, departmental travel expenditures increased by $2.4 million. This increase is largely attributed to travel under the Canadian Critical Mineral Strategy and Geo-Mapping for Energy and Minerals to reflect an increase in fieldwork deliverables; to the Polar Continental Shelf Program due to requirements for additional departmental staff to work in Resolute Bay and to changes in logistical operations driven by updated regulations and weather-related delays; to the activities of the Canada Electricity Advisory Council created in 2024; to the first year of operation of the WildFireSat Canadian Operational Mission; and to the national engagement process to develop a National Benefit Sharing Framework, for which the engagements took place across Canada from November 2023 to March 2024, to gain insights from diverse Indigenous groups.
The continued ramping-up of programs such as Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage, Forest mapping, and 2 Billion Trees also contributed to the increase in departmental travel expenditures. In addition, increased travel was required for program operations, such as in the wildfire suite of programs for both community engagement, as well as travel required during the 2023 fire season, and in the Early Earthquake Warning (EEW) program for the addition of several new EEW stations.
Finally, the increase is also attributable to the lifting of travel restrictions in place due to COVID-19; programs catching up on site visits related to contribution agreements; as well as increased inflation costs associated with all aspects of travel.
Hospitality:
Compared with fiscal year 2022-2023, there was no significant variance for departmental hospitality expenditures.
Conference fees:
Compared with fiscal year 2022-23, 2023-24 departmental conference expenditures decreased by $107 thousand mainly due to reduced participation in conferences both internationally and domestically.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared with fiscal year 2022-2023, there was no significant variance for departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister and his staff.