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 the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. 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 mandates and the government's priorities.

In particular, for CanNor, this includes the delivery of programs and services to Canadians as described below.

The Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor) works to help develop a diversified, sustainable and dynamic economy across Canada's three territories, while contributing to Canada's prosperity. CanNor fosters growth and development in the North by delivering economic development programs and by collaborating with and aligning the efforts of partners in northern and southern Canada to respond to economic challenges and opportunities in the North. The Agency also coordinates the activities of other federal departments to maximize their collective impact, particularly federal regulators in relation to major project development in the North, bringing insight, knowledge and partnerships together.

Fiscal year 2011-12 represents CanNor's second full year of operations across Canada's North with its offices open in all northern capitals and a liaison office in Ottawa.

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

Expenditure Category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2011 (Thousands of Dollars)	Expenditures for the Year Ending March 31, 2012 (Thousands of Dollars)	Variance (Thousands of Dollars)
Travel – Public Servants	1,122	921	(201)
Travel – Non-Public Servants	88	8	(80)
International Travel by Minister and Minister's Staff	34	0	(34)
Total Travel	1,244	929	(315)
Hospitality	29	8	(21)
Conference Fees	17	15	(2)
TOTAL	1,290	952	(338)

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel:

1. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011,  travel expenditures by public servants decreased mainly due to:
   
   
   • A reduction in planned business travel
   • Increased use of alternate communications methods including webinars, teleconferencing and videoconferencing, mitigating the need for travel.
2. Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures for non-public servants decreased considerably, particularly for the Minister's Office.
3. Minister and Minister's Staff: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, there was no Ministerial international travel on behalf of CanNor in fiscal year 2011-2012.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased mainly due to a reduced number of CanNor functions in fiscal year 2011-2012.

Conference Fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental conference fees expenditures decreased slightly.

Approved, in accordance with the Treasury Board Directive for the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences:

Ottawa, Canada
November 2, 2012