2013-14 Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Events Expenditures, this report provides information on the total annual expenditures for each of travel, hospitality and conferences for the Parks Canada Agency for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014. 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 conferences incurred by federal departments and agencies are for the most part directly related to supporting departmental mandate(s) and the government’s priorities.

In particular, for Parks Canada this includes managing national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas on behalf of Canadians. Parks Canada is a proud steward of these heritage places and protects and presents them for the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations of Canadians.

Parks Canada’s Mandate and Programs

Parks Canada has the mandate to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure the ecological and commemorative integrity of these places for present and future generations.

The programs that support Parks Canada’s mandate include:

• Heritage Places Establishment,
• Heritage Resources Conservation,
• Public Appreciation and Understanding,
• Visitor Experience and
• Townsite and Throughway Infrastructure.

Our national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas offer Canadians a variety of recreational activities and learning experiences as well as a unique opportunity to personally connect with these heritage places. There are more than 20 million person-visits annually to the heritage places administered by Parks Canada.

Further information on Parks Canada’s mandate and programs can be found in the Reports on Plans and Priorities (RPP) and in the Departmental Performance Report (DPR).

Parks Canada’s Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

In line with the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Events Expenditures, Parks Canada adopted a plan to manage these expenditures with prudence and probity. Enhanced controls and procedures were put into place to ensure that travel, hospitality and conference related expenses were reasonable, appropriate and supported the Agency objectives and priorities.

The Agency has reduced its travel, hospitality and conference expenditures by 42 percent since 2009-2010 as a result of pro-active management of travel, hospitality and conference expenditures and will continue to monitor the rate of spending as part of its regular internal reporting process.

Total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences of Parks Canada Agency are summarized below:

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

This section provides a brief explanation of significant variances from the previous year’s annual expenditures for each category.

Travel, Hospitality and Conferences expenditure trend
from 2009-2010 to 2013-2014

Travel

At the end of fiscal year 2013-2014, expenditures for travel decreased by less than 1 percent compared to 2012-2013. Since 2009-2010, the Agency has maintained a downward trend in travel expenditures of over 40 percent.

• Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, travel expenditures by public servants have decreased by $76 thousand or 1 percent.
  
  
• Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, travel expenditures by non public servants have decreased by $20 thousand or 3 percent.
  
  
• Minister and Minister’s Staff: Expenditures by the Minister and her staff do not apply for Parks Canada as these expenditures are covered by Environment Canada’s budget.

Hospitality

Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, the Agency’s hospitality expenditures have decreased by $9 thousand or 5 percent.

Conference Fees

Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, the Agency’s conferences fees expenditures have increased by $40 thousand or 24 percent. In 2013-14, Parks Canada increased its participation at conferences in support of it’s mandate.