Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Transport Canada 2017 - 2018
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 Transport Canada for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018.
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:
Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by Transport Canada relate to activities that support the department’s mandate and the government’s priorities. These expenditures support the delivery of the following core programs and services to Canadians by developing and overseeing the Government of Canada’s transportation policies and programs so that Canadians can have access to a transportation system that is safe and secure, green and innovative and efficient.
Transport Canada Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures for Year ending March 31, 2018
Expenditure category |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands) |
Expenditures for year ended March 31, 2017 Note 1 ($ thousands) |
Variance ($ thousands) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel | |||
Operational activities |
$9,106.00 |
- | - |
Key stakeholders |
$6,285.00 |
- | - |
Internal governance |
$2,948.00 |
- | - |
Training |
$6,340.00 |
- | - |
Other |
$637.00 |
- | - |
| A. Total travel | $25,316.00 |
$16,555.00 |
$8,761.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $353.00 |
$215.00 |
$138.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $300.00 |
$96.00 |
$204.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $25,969.00 |
$16,866.00 |
$9,103.00 |
| International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel) | $88.00 |
$52.00 |
$36.00 |
Explanation of significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel:
*September 27, 2019 update: The figures for Operational Activities ($8,023K) and Other ($1,720K) categories were updated to reflect a change into the coding structure to offer comparable measures with the 18-19 numbers. The variance analysis remains unchanged.
Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, travel expenditures increased mainly due to additional investments in technical training and because of the increased engagement and outreach activities with Indigenous communities, industry, municipal and provincial governments, international partners, and other stakeholders for new initiatives such as the:
-Oceans Protection Plan;
-Modernization of Transport Canada’s legislative, regulatory and oversight regimes; and
-Trade and Transportation corridors initiative.
In addition, the department hosted a large number of roundtables across the country in 2017-18, such as for the Reviews of the Railway Act and the Pilotage Act.
The 2016-17 ($16.6M) and the 2015-16 ($21.0M) travel expenses were significantly lower as the department implemented expenditure restraint measures across the organization as a result of budget pressures. Even with the increased engagement and outreach activities, the 2017-18 travel expenditures remained on par with the 2014-15 figures ($26.2M)
Hospitality:
Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, hospitality expenditures increased as a result of additional stakeholder engagement for initiatives such as the Oceans Protection Plan along with multiple other programs and activities of the department.
Conference fees:
Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, conference fee expenditures increased mainly due to an increased participation in conferences to engage with stakeholders and promote the departmental new initiatives, services and programs.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Compared with fiscal year 2016-17, expenditures for international travel by the Minister and the Minister’s exempt staff increased largely due to additional international obligations in 2017-18.