Annual Report on Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures: 2020-2021

Public Health Agency of Canada

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, this report provides information on travel, hospitality and conference expenditures for the Public Health Agency of Canada (the Agency) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2021, except for information withheld under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures incurred by a federal department or Agency relate to activities that support the department or Agency's mandate and the government's priorities.

Mandate

The role of the Agency is to promote health, prevent and control chronic diseases and injuries, prevent and control infectious diseases, prepare for and respond to public health emergencies, serve as a central point for sharing Canada's expertise with the rest of the world, apply international research and development to Canada's public health programs, strengthen intergovernmental collaboration on public health and facilitate national approaches to public health policy and planning.

Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Public Health Agency of Canada
Year ended March 31, 2020

Expenditure category	Expenditures for the Year ending March 31, 2021 ($ thousands)	Expenditures for the Year ending March 31, 2020 ($ thousands)	Variance ($ thousands)
Travel
Operational activities	3,536	5,251	-1,715
Key stakeholders	38	1,441	-1,403
Internal governance	10	119	-109
Training	27	611	-584
Other	9,431	561	8,870
A. Total travel	13,042	7,983	5,059
B. Hospitality	99	186	-87
C. Conference fees	170	186	-16
Total [A+B+C]	13,311	8,355	4,956
Differences may arise due to rounding.

Significant variances compared with previous fiscal year

Travel:

In fiscal year 2020-21, the Agency spent $13.04M in travel expenditures compared to $7.9M for fiscal year 2019-20. This represents an overall increase of $5.1M or 63%. This increase in expenditures relates mainly to the implementation of borders and travel health measures, pursuant of Section 7 in the Quarantine Act, for travel associated with the mandatory quarantine of travellers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the Agency observed significant reductions in travel levels and expenditures across travel categories such as operational activities, key stakeholders and training as a result of the ongoing public health measures related to COVID-19 during 2020-21.

Hospitality:

For fiscal year 2020-21, the Agency has spent $99K in Hospitality expenditures compared to $186K for fiscal year 2019-20. This represents an overall decrease of $87K or 47%, mainly due to fewer hospitality events and requirements as a result of ongoing public health measures related to COVID-19 during 2020-21.

Conference fees:

For fiscal year 2020-21, the Agency has spent $170K in Conference fee expenditures compared to $186K for fiscal year 2019-20. This represents an overall decrease of $16K or 9%, mainly due to reduced participation of Agency personnel in conferences as a result of ongoing public health measures related to COVID-19 during 2020-21.