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Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences - 2012

[Previous report: 2011]

 

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on 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 CRTC 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 related to supporting departmental mandates and the government’s priorities.

In particular, for the CRTC, this includes expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences incurred while regulating and supervising the Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems in the public interest, according to the policy objectives established in the Broadcasting Act of 1991 and the Telecommunications Act of 1993. As well, in December 2010, Royal Assent was granted for Anti-spam legislation entitled An Act to promote the efficiency and adaptability of the Canadian economy by regulating certain activities that discourage reliance on electronic means of carrying out commercial activities, and to amend the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, the Competition Act, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and the Telecommunications Act (i.e. Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)). These expenditures include non-discretionary travel costs related to the statutory requirements such as the conduct of public hearings and Commission meetings.

Further details about the CRTC’s authority, mandate and program activities can be found in the department’s Departmental Performance Report (DPR), Report on Plans and Priorities (RPP), and other sources of relevant information located on the Treasury Board website at www.tbs-sct.gc.ca.

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

Expenditure Category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2011 (in thousands of dollars)	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2012 (in thousands of dollars)	Variances
Travel - Public Servants	$988	$981	$7
Travel - Non-Public Servants	$24	$7	$17
Minister and Minister's Staff	$0	$0	$0
Total Travel	$1,012	$988	$24
Hospitality	$86	$108	-$22
Conference Fees	$279	$304	-$25
TOTAL	$1,377	$1,400	-$23

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Overall expenditures on travel, hospitality and conferences have increased by $23K or 1.7% compared to previous year’s expenditures. Although the total variance and variances for each category of expenses are minimal, a brief description of these differences is provided to enhance transparency.

TRAVEL: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, CRTC travel expenditures by public servants and non-public servants decreased by $24K or 2.4%. This decrease is due to factors such as increased use of economy and discounted airfares and increased use of teleconferencing and videoconferencing to minimize the need to travel. 

HOSPITALITY: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, CRTC hospitality expenditures increased by $22K or 26%, mainly attributable to:

• Increased spending related to consultations and outreach activities with stakeholders of the broadcasting and telecommunication industries;
• An increase in spending generated by activities related to the new Canada’ Anti-Spam Legislation. These activities include reflection days and specialized training for employees and;
• Increased spending on awards and recognition ceremonies to mark the departure of the Chairman, Secretary General and senior CRTC staff.

CONFERENCE FEES : Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, CRTC conference fees expenditures increased by $25K or 9%. This difference is mainly attributable to an increase in the cost of conferences and the number of the conference participants during fiscal year 2011-2012.

Reductions Planned for 2012-2013

For FY 2012-2013, the CRTC’s budget for travel, hospitality and conferences, approved by the CRTC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, targets a 6% reduction in overall expenditures compared to FY 2011-2012.  The total budget approved for these items totals $1.316M.

The majority of this reduction will be realized through a decrease in hospitality and conference related expenditures. In 2012-2013, the CRTC revised its awards and recognition guidelines which will significantly reduce the amount of hospitality which can be extended as part of awards and recognition events.