ARCHIVED – Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences Fiscal Year 2013–2014

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 conference fees for Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) 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 related to activities that support 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 68 points of service in 61 countries.

CIC’s 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.

In October 2008, responsibility for the administration of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act was transferred to CIC from the Department of Canadian Heritage. Under the Act, CIC promotes the integration of individuals and communities into all aspects of Canadian society and helps to build a stronger, more cohesive society.

Jurisdiction over immigration is a shared responsibility between the federal, and the provincial and territorial governments under section 95 of the Constitution Act, 1867. Under section 91(25) of the Constitution Act, 1867, the federal government has jurisdiction over naturalization and aliens.

In July 2013, the primary responsibility for the Passport Program was transferred from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD) to CIC; Passport service delivery is now provided through Service Canada.

In August 2013, CIC assumed responsibility for International Experience Canada (IEC) from DFATD. This transfer allowed the program to better align with government priorities and labour market demands in Canada by linking IEC to other immigration programs.

Further details about CIC’s authority, mandate and programs 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, and 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

The Passport and International Experience Canada (IEC) programs were integrated with CIC on July 2, 2013 and August 31, 2013 respectively. As a result, CIC's expenditures in 2013-2014 contain 9 and 7 months of Passport and IEC numbers respectively. CIC did not have any Passport or IEC related expenditures in 2012-2013.

Travel:

1. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, departmental travel expenditures by public servants increased by $2.4 million. While the department makes 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 2013-2014, the Temporary Resident Biometrics Project (TRBP) deployed biometrics collection capabilities, both hardware and software, to all Visa Offices and approximately 131 Visa Application Centres (VACs). This is a total of 184 locations in 137 cities in 99 countries. Field team members travelled between May 2013 and June 2014 to those locations to deploy biometric collection capabilities. The trips were strategically grouped together to minimize time spent abroad and costs.
   • In 2013-2014, additional funding was provided for Temporary Duty assignments, to keep up with the growth in temporary resident applications (seasonal increase in volumes where Temporary Duty use is cost efficient).
   • CIC's expenditures in 2013-2014 contain the Passport and IEC program expenditures. CIC did not have any Passport or IEC related expenditures in 2012-2013.
2. Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants increased by $11 thousand mainly due to:
   • In 2013-2014, Canada was the host for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA). As a result, more CIC delegates were sent and the Advisory Council Meetings were held in Montreal.
   • International Travel by Minister, Parliamentary Secretaries and Minister's Staff (which is included under Travel: Non-Public Servants) decreased as explained in section C below.
   • CIC's expenditures in 2013-2014 contain the Passport and IEC program expenditures. CIC did not have any Passport or IEC related expenditures in 2012-2013.
3. International Travel by Minister, Parliamentary Secretaries and Minister’s Staff: Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, departmental international travel expenditures by the Minister, his staff and Parliamentary Secretaries decreased by $61 thousand mainly due to:
   • International travel expenses are dictated by the level of travel undertaken by the Minister and his agenda. In 2013-2014, the Minister's international travel decreased from the previous year mainly due to the Cabinet shuffle that occurred in July 2013. International travel often decreases during the first year of appointment to a new portfolio as the Minister acquaints himself with his new Department.
   • For further details on international travel, please visit the CIC Proactive Disclosure web page.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, departmental hospitality expenditures increased by $98 thousand as a result of Canada being the host for the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) in 2013-2014.

Conference fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2012-2013, departmental conference fee expenditures decreased by $30 thousand due to the postponement of a planned international conference to 2014-2015 as a result of the unavailability of participants from certain countries and the continuous efforts of the department to maintain low conference expenditures.