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 annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conference fees for the department of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2015. It also provides the variance explanations from the previous fiscal year in each of these categories.

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 conference fees incurred by federal departments and agencies are related to activities that support a departmental or agency mandate and the government's priorities.

The vision of NRCan is to improve the quality of life of Canadians by creating a sustainable resource advantage. It seeks to achieve this vision by working to improve the competitiveness of the natural resource sectors and to grow their contribution to Canada’s economy. NRCan supports the responsible development of Canada’s resources in a manner that advances the country’s global standing as a leader on the environment, and uses its knowledge and expertise of Canada’s landmass to support the safety and security of citizens.

In 2014-15, NRCan spent approximately $12.5 million on travel, hospitality and conference fees. The largest contributor to expenditures in travel (17%) were in support of the program activity ‘Protection for Canadians and Natural Resources’, which supports government departments, communities and the private sector to manage risks to human, natural resource and infrastructure health.  This is done by providing regulation, knowledge, tools and services, fulfilling legislated responsibilities, and ensuring capacity.

The largest contributors to expenditures in hospitality (29%) and conference fees (20%) were in support of the program activity ‘Technology Innovation’, which encourages academia, industry and the public sector to research, develop and demonstrate innovative solutions to environmental challenges encountered in the natural resource sector.  This is done through the generation and dissemination of scientific knowledge, and the development and demonstration of new technologies.

For more information on NRCan’s Plans and Priorities, see the 2014-15 Report on Plans and Priorities.

Total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences of NRCan are summarized below:

Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences of Natural Resources Canada (in thousands of dollars)

Expenditure Category	Expenditures for the Year Ending March 31, 2015	Expenditures for the Previous Year Ending March 31, 2014	Change
Travel: Public Servants	10,224	10,227	-3
Travel: Non-Public Servants	1,643	1,088	555
Total Travel	11,867	11,315	552
Hospitality	137	129	8
Conference Fees	455	342	113
Total	12,459	11,786	673
International Travel by Minister and Minister's Staff (also included in Non-Public Servant travel)	82	144	-62

Significant Variances Compared With the Previous Fiscal Year

Travel:

Public servants: Compared with fiscal year 2013-14, 2014-15 departmental travel expenditures by public servants decreased by $3 thousand:

• Departmental public servant travel expenditures have remained stable.

Non-public servants: Compared with fiscal year 2013-14, 2014-15 departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased by $555 thousand mainly due to:

• A new government directive to report travel that forms part of contract requirements as non-public servants travel. In past years, all expenditures for travel forming part of contract requirements were reported as professional services and excluded from this report.

Hospitality: Compared with fiscal year 2013-14, 2014-15 departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $8 thousand:

• Hospitality costs have remained relatively stable.

Conferences: Compared with fiscal year 2013-14, 2014-15 departmental conferences expenditures increased by $113 thousand mainly due to:

• A significant effort placed on the dissemination of project research results at various Provincial and Territorial geoscience open houses, as well as at key domestic and international geoscience conferences and conventions for the Targeted Geoscience Initiative ending in fiscal year 2014-15;

• Greater participation in energy security, energy market and regulatory conferences and workshops in support of international energy collaboration and alignment;
• An overall increase in number of participants in conferences in support of the Public Safety Geoscience program; and,
• Activities conducted under the Stakeholder Outreach and Engagement Fund program in order to support public outreach and engagement initiatives that communicated the benefits of responsible resource development and access to markets.

Minister and minister’s staff:  Compared with fiscal year 2013-14, 2014-15 departmental international travel expenditures by the minister and his staff decreased by $62 thousand mainly due to:

• A reduction in the number of international trips taken by the minister and his staff.