Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Transportation Safety Board of 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 Transportation Safety Board of 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:
Expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred by federal departments and agencies are for the most part directly related to supporting departmental mandates and the government's priorities. The mandate of the TSB is to advance transportation safety. This mandate is fulfilled by conducting independent investigations into selected transportation occurrences to identify the causes and contributing factors of the occurrences and the underlying safety deficiencies, reporting on its findings, making recommendations and advocating to influence safety actions and changes.
Transportation Safety Board of 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 |
$817.00 |
$1,043.00 |
-$226.00 |
Non-public Servants |
$4.00 |
$2.00 |
-$226.00 |
| A. Total travel | $821.00 |
$1,043.00 |
$2.00 |
| B. Hospitality | $2.00 |
$7.00 |
-$5.00 |
| C. Conference fees | $4.00 |
$8.00 |
-$4.00 |
| Total [A+B+C] | $827.00 |
$1,060.00 |
-$233.00 |
| 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:
A. Public Servants: Travel expenditures decreased by $226k or 22% compared to fiscal year 2013-14. This decrease is primarily explained by high travel costs in 2013-14 for the investigation of the Lac-Mégantic rail accident ($188K in 2013-14 and $47K in 2014-15). The remaining reduction in travel is explained by a reduction of travel for internal meetings and training.
B. Non-Public Servants: Travel by non-public servants relates to expenditures incurred by consultants performing services for TSB, subject matter experts assisting with investigations. Spending on this category of travel is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years. Fiscal year 2014-15 showed only a small increase of $2K when compared to 2013-14.
Hospitality:
Spending on hospitality expenditures is minimal; as a result, a single event can present a significant percentage variance between years. The decrease in spending for 2014-15 is primarily explained by hospitality incurred during the annual seminar of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators in 2013-14, which was held in Vancouver, Canada.
Conference fees:
Spending on conference fees is minimal. The decrease for 2014-15 is explained by the 2013-14 annual seminar of the International Society of Air Safety Investigators. The TSB had a larger than usual participation at the 2013-14 international conference because it was held in Canada; it provided a good opportunity for TSB investigators to meet and exchange with their counterparts from other countries without incurring significant travel costs.Minister and minister’s exempt staff - International travel:
Not Applicable. To instill confidence in the public regarding the transportation accident investigation process, it is essential that an investigating agency be independent and free from any conflicts of interest when investigating accidents, identifying safety deficiencies, and making safety recommendations. The TSB is an independent agency, separate from other government agencies and departments, that reports to Parliament through the President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade.