Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

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 (NRCan) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, except for information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or agency relate to activities that support a departmental or agency’s mandate and the government's priorities.

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. About one-third of our employees are located in the National Capital Region, with the remainder working in regional offices: Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Western and Pacific Regions and Northern Canada.

For more information on NRCan’s results, see the 2017-18 - Departmental Results Report (DRR).

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Natural Resources Canada
Year ended March 31, 2018

Expenditure CategoryFootnote 1	Expenditures for Year Ended March 31, 2018 ($ thousands)	Expenditures for Year Ended March 31, 2017 ($ thousands)	Variance ($ thousands)
Travel
Public and non-public servants		10,997	N/A
Operational activities	9,435		N/A
Key stakeholders	1,911		N/A
Internal governance	226		N/A
Training	396		N/A
Other	574		N/A
Total travel	12,542	10,997	1,545
Hospitality	460	147	313
Conference fees	663	469	194
Total	13,665	11,613	2,052
International travel by minister and minister's staff (included in travel)	167	175	-8

Note Footnote 1: Comparative figures have not been reclassified to conform with current year presentation by travel expenditure category.

Significant variances compared with the previous fiscal year

Travel: compared with fiscal year 2016-17, departmental travel expenditures increased by $1,545 thousand. This increase is mainly attributable to the launch of Generation Energy, a nation-wide dialogue with experts and individual Canadians to envision Canada’s transition to a low-carbon energy future, which prompted public sector travel across the country to assist in workshops, roundtables, a national forum and meetings with the Generation Energy Council; the continued engagement with stakeholders including Indigenous communities through the co-developed Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committees to help monitor the Trans Mountain Expansion and the Line 3 Replacement projects; the participation in trade and investment promotion missions such as the G7 Energy Ministerial meeting in Rome, the Clean Energy Ministerial, Mission Innovation in China and the International Energy Agency (IEA) Ministerial in France; and additional fieldwork for forest related research resulting in increased travel.

Hospitality: compared with fiscal year 2016-17, 2017-18 departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $313 thousand mainly due to the hosting of Generation Energy engagement sessions, including the Generation Energy Forum. The increase is also attributable to an increased number of Indigenous Advisory and Monitoring Committee meetings, as well as the hosting of the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers meeting and a preparatory meeting for the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM) and Mission Innovation (MI) in advance of hosting the Ministerial level meetings in 2019.

Conferences fees: compared with fiscal year 2016-17, 2017-18 departmental conference fees expenditures increased by $194 thousand mainly due to greater participation in conferences and to NRCan’s sponsorship of the following conferences: the biannual Globe Forum designed to showcase Canada’s clean technologies and services with a focus on cleantech and innovation in the natural resources sector; and the National Summit on Indigenous Youth and Natural Resource Development, which aimed to bridge gaps in understanding the interests, needs and challenges among industry, government, Indigenous leaders, and Indigenous youth in Canada’s natural resource sector.

Minister and minister’s staff: compared with fiscal year 2016-17, 2017-18 departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister and his staff decreased by $7.6 thousand mainly due to a decrease in the number of international trips taken by the Minister and his staff while continuing to support operational activities.