ARCHIVED – Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences – Fiscal Year 2012–2013

As required by the Treasury Board 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 the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013. 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 the department’s mandate and the government’s priorities.

CIC’s Mandate

CIC selects foreign nationals as permanent and temporary residents and offers Canada’s protection to refugees. The Department develops Canada’s admissibility policy, which sets the conditions for entering and remaining in Canada; it also conducts, in collaboration with its partners, the screening of potential permanent and temporary residents to protect the health, safety and security of Canadians. Fundamentally, the Department builds a stronger Canada by helping immigrants and refugees settle and fully integrate into Canadian society and the economy, and by encouraging and facilitating Canadian citizenship. To achieve this, CIC operates 27 in-Canada points of service and 70 points of service in 63 countries.

CIC’s broad mandate is partly derived from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration Act. The Minister for Citizenship and Immigration Canada is responsible for the Citizenship Act of 1977 and shares responsibility with the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness for the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), which came into force following major legislative reform in 2002. CIC and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) support their respective ministers in the administration and enforcement of IRPA. These organizations work collaboratively to achieve and balance the objectives of the immigration and refugee programs.

Finally, under the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, CIC promotes the integration of individuals and communities into all aspects of Canadian society and helps to build a stronger, more cohesive society.

Further details about CIC’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 Citizenship and Immigration Canada website.

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures

CIC’s hospitality expenses are mainly derived from activities related to hosting of citizenship ceremonies, events and meetings with foreign dignitaries as well as with federal/provincial/territorial stakeholders.

CIC works in a multi-faceted, rapidly changing policy environment. Canada is a nation built on immigration, which has always played an important economic role in meeting our labour market needs. International migration is increasingly complex, with the movement of people being closely linked to trade, global health, and security concerns. Even as we strengthen partnerships at home, we must also foster international partnerships to ensure well-managed, safe and secure international migration. Managing our migration programs requires continued vigilance with respect to fraud and security threats. Managing in a global environment dictates that CIC must travel in order to ensure program integrity and to provide an oversight and monitoring of its national and international operations.

Total annual expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences of Citizenship and Immigration Canada are summarized below:

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel:

1. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by $885 thousand. While the department is making continuous efforts to reduce its travel expenditures, specific initiatives related to the modernization of CIC’s operations explain this increase and is mainly due to:
   • In 2012-2013, significant travel requirements for public servants was needed due to the implementation of certain initiatives, such as the expansion of the Global Visa Application Centre Network, in supporting the Department’s modernization agenda and the implementation of biometrics in Canada’s immigration program and the e-medical web-based system being developed to provide CIC with electronic recording and transmission of immigration medical examinations.
   • Increased travel requirements due to the preparation of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) Conference to be held in 2013-14. Citizenship and Immigration is the host of this event.
2. Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased by $60 thousand mainly due to:
   • Continuous impact of revised guidelines on coding under non-public servants which was introduced in 2011-2012 for recording the travel required by exempt staff and judges.
3. International Travel by Minister, Parliamentary Secretaries and Minister’s Staff: Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister, his staff and Parliamentary Secretaries increased by $48 thousand mainly due to:
   • International travel expenses are dictated by the level of travel undertaken by the Minister and his agenda. In 2012-2013, the Minister’s international travel increased from the previous year, since in 2011-2012, the Minister had fewer trips as a result of the election period.
   • In 2012-2013, the Minister incurred expenditures related to five international trips compared to four international trips in fiscal year 2011-2012.
   • For further details on international travel, please visit the CIC Proactive Disclosure web page.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental hospitality expenditures remained relatively steady as a result of continuing efforts within the department to maintain low hospitality expenditures associated with meetings.

Conference fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental conference fee expenditures decreased by $33 thousand due to the continuous impact of revised guidelines that were introduced in 2011-12 and to the continuous efforts of the department to maintain low conference expenditures.