ESDC - Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences
2015-2016
As required by the Treasury Board (TB) 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 Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. It also provides the variance explanations from the previous fiscal year 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 federal departments and agencies are directly related to supporting departmental mandates and the government's priorities.
ESDC’s mission is to build a stronger and more competitive Canada, to support Canadians in making choices that help them live productive and rewarding lives and to improve Canadians' quality of life. The Department delivers a range of programs and services that affect Canadians throughout their lives through three business lines:
· Employment and Social Development;
· Labour Program; and
· Service Canada.
Included in its core roles are responsibilities for the design and delivery of some of the Government of Canada's most well-known programs and services, such as: Old Age Security; Canada Pension Plan; Employment Insurance; Canada Student Loans and Grants; the Canada Education Savings Program; Temporary Foreign Workers Program; Wage Earner Protection Program; and Passport Services.
The Labour Program is responsible for overseeing federal labour regulatory responsibilities, including facilitating compliance with occupational health and safety, labour standards and employment equity legislation, as well as assisting trade unions and employers in the negotiation of collective agreements and their renewal in federally regulated workplaces. The Labour Program also represents Canada in international labour organizations and negotiates and implements labour provisions in the context of trade liberalization initiatives.
Through Service Canada, the Department helps Canadians access departmental programs as well as other Government of Canada programs and services.
Finally, through grants and contributions, the Department provides funding to other levels of government and organizations within the voluntary and private sectors, educators and community organizations to support projects that meet the labour market and social development needs of Canadians.
For more information, please refer to the Report on Plans and Priorities 2015-2016 and the Departmental Performance Report 2015-2016 (link to be added when available).
Total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences of ESDC are summarized below:
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1 Includes international travel that is part of a department's program. |
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Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year
The department is focussed on effective cost control and maximum value for money, as per the TB Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.
TRAVEL:
A. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by only 0.2% mainly due to:
· Continuing to use suitable alternatives and leveraging available technology, such as virtual meetings (video and teleconferencing), and on-line or other training tools to reduce and/or minimize travel costs.
B. Non-Public Servants (NPS): Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased by 20% mainly due to:
· The increase in NPS travel is due primarily to travel related to a major IT project.
· This increase is partially offset by a substantial decrease of other NPS travel of 18.4%.
C. Minister and Minister’s Staff: Compared to fiscal 2014-2015, departmental international expenditures by the Ministers and their staff decreased overall by 90% as a result of:
· Fewer travel requirements during fiscal year 2015-2016 compared to the previous fiscal year due to the federal election.
· Additionally, the mandate of former Minister Kenney included multiculturalism.
HOSPITALITY:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by 7% mainly due to:
· Keeping hospitality costs to a minimum and continuing to promote a cost-conscious culture.
CONFERENCE FEES:
Compared to fiscal year 2014-2015, departmental conference fees expenditures increased by 111.86% ($66 thousand) mainly due to:
· The engagement agenda introduced after the appointment of the new government.
In summary, by continuing to focus on cost-effective measures and strong controls to ensure accountability, the Department has increased its overall THC expenditures by only 2.29%.