Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences For the year ending March 31, 2017
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 Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017. It also provides the variance explanations 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 conference fees incurred by federal departments and agencies are related to activities that support a departmental or agency mandate and the government's priorities.
In particular, for WD, this includes the delivery of strategic 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 the West 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 Results Report.
Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences
(in thousands of dollars)
| Expenditure Category | Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2017 (a) | Expenditures for the previous year ending March 31, 2016 (b) [1] | Change (a - b) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Travel: Public Servants | 848 | 770 | 78 |
| Travel: Non-Public Servants | 80 | 80 | 0 |
| Total Travel | 928 | 850 | 78 |
| Hospitality | 11 | 7 | 4 |
| Conference Fees | 18 | 18 | 0 |
| Total | 957 | 875 | 82 |
| International Travel by Minister and Minister's Staff (also included in Non-Public Servant travel) |
0 | 0 | 0 |
[1]The Travel: Public Servants figure for 2016 has been re-stated by $4 thousand.
Significant Variances Compared With 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:
Public Servants: Compared with fiscal year 2015–16, departmental expenditures increased by $78 thousand mainly due to:
- increased stakeholder engagement to promote economic diversification and Government of Canada priorities;
- travel to Churchill, Manitoba to address economic hardship specifically faced in that region; and
- changes to the departmental organizational structure.
Non-Public Servants: Compared with fiscal year 2015–16, there is no variance in non-public servants travel.
Hospitality: Compared with fiscal year 2015–16, departmental expenditures increased by $4 thousand mainly due to:
- increased convening role promoting economic diversification and building on competitive regional advantages; and
- increased collaborative approach to Government of Canada priorities and activities.
Conference Fees: Compared with fiscal year 2015–16, there is no variance in conference fees.
Minister and Minister's Staff International Travel: Compared with fiscal year 2015–16, there is no variance in Minister and Minister's staff international travel.