Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

For the year ending March 31, 2012

As required by the Treasury Board Directive for the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences, this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences for Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

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 federal departments and agencies are, for the most part, directly related to supporting the departmental mandate and the government's priorities.

In particular, for WD, this includes the delivery of core programs to Canadians that advance innovation, business development and community economic development in rural and urban areas throughout the four western provinces. Through the Western Economic Diversification Act, the department is mandated to "promote the development and diversification of the economy of Western Canada and to advance the interests of Western Canada in national economic policy, program and project development and implementation."

Additional information on departmental programs and program activities may be found in WD’s Programs and the Departmental Performance Report.

Total annual expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences for WD are summarized below:

(in thousands of dollars)

Significant Variances Compared to the Previous Fiscal Year

This section is used to provide a brief explanation of significant variances from the previous year's annual expenditures for each category.

Travel:

A. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010–11, departmental travel expenditures by public servants decreased by $530 thousand mainly due to:

• the completion of Canada’s Economic Action Plan initiatives and associated staff reductions; and
• managed travel reductions.

B. Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010–11, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants decreased by $32 thousand mainly due to:

• managed travel reductions.

C. Minister and Minister's Staff: Compared to fiscal year 2010–11, departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister and her staff increased by $27 thousand mainly due to:

• increased participation in and attendance at international events that create opportunities for western Canadian companies.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2010–11, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $36 thousand mainly due to:

• managed hospitality reductions.

Conference Fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2010–11, there is no significant variance in departmental conference fees expenditures.