2015-2016 Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences for Transport Canada for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. It also provides the variance explanations for significant changes from the previous fiscal year in each of these areas.

This information is updated annually and does not contain information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred by Transport Canada are related to supporting both the departmental mandate and the government’s priorities.

Transport Canada provides a variety of programs and services to Canadian citizens, related to safety, security, the environment, and innovation in transportation by air, land and sea. The department is committed to ensuring Canada has aviation, rail, road and marine transportation systems that are safe, secure, environmentally responsible and innovative. 

For more information about Transport Canada’s mandates and priorities, please see the Departmental Performance Report and the Report on Plans and Priorities.

Total annual expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences of Transport Canada are summarized below:

Expenditure Categories

Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2016
(In thousands of dollars)

Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2015
(In thousands of dollars)

Variance
(In thousands of dollars)

Travel - Public Servants

$20,674

$25,526

-$4,852

Travel - Non-Public Servants

$364

$673

-$309

International Travel by Minister and Minister's Staff

$11

$34

-$23

Total Travel

$21,049

$26,233

-$5,184

Hospitality

$140

$194

-$54

Conference Fees

$174

$278

-$104

TOTAL

$21,363

$26,705

-$5,342

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel:

Overall travel expenditures decreased by 20% ($5,184K) compared to fiscal year 2014-15, as follows:

  • Public Servants:  Travel expenditures by public servants decreased 19% ($4,852K), mainly due to the implementation of expenditure restraint measures across the organization, including the use of alternatives to travel, such as teleconference and videoconference.
  • Non-Public Servants:  Travel expenditures by non-public servants decreased 46% ($309K) mainly as a result of higher costs incurred in 2014-15 for the statutory review of the Canada Transportation Act.
  • International Travel by Minister and Minister’s Staff:  International travel expenditures by the Minister and Minister’s Staff decreased $23K due to a reduced number of overseas trips.

For further details on international travel, please visit Transport Canada Proactive Disclosure.

Hospitality:

Hospitality expenditures decreased 28% ($54K) during fiscal year 2015-2016 mainly as a result of Departmental efforts to reduce hospitality expenditures associated with meetings.

Conferences Fees:

Conference fees decreased 37% ($104K) during fiscal year 2015-2016 mainly as a result of a reduction in the number of employees attending conferences.