Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences

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 Health Canada for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012.

This information is updated annually and does not contain information withheld under the  Access to Information Act or the  Privacy Act.

Health Canada's mandate is to help Canadians maintain and improve their health. The Department is committed to improving the lives of all Canadians and to making this country's population among the healthiest in the world, as measured by longevity, lifestyle and effective use of the public health care system.

First, as a regulator, Health Canada is responsible for the regulatory regime governing the safety of products including food, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, natural health products, consumer products, chemicals, radiation emitting devices, cosmetics and pesticides. It also regulates tobacco products and controlled substances, public health on aircraft, ships and other passenger conveyances, and helps manage the health risks posed by environmental factors such as air, water, radiation and contaminants.

The Department is also a service provider. The federal government has provided basic health services to First Nations since 1904. Today, Health Canada provides basic primary care services in approximately 200 remote First Nations communities, home and community care in 600 First Nations communities, support for health promotion programs in Inuit communities across four regions and a limited range of medically-necessary health-related goods and services not insured by private or other public health insurance plans to eligible First Nations and Inuit. The Department also funds or delivers community-based health programs and public health activities to First Nations and Inuit. These activities promote health, prevent chronic disease and address issues such as substance abuse and the spread of infectious diseases.

Health Canada is a catalyst for innovation, a funder, and an information provider in Canada's health system. It works closely with provincial and territorial governments to develop national approaches on health system issues and promotes the pan-Canadian adoption of best practices. It administers the  Canada Health Act, which embodies national principles to ensure a universal and equitable publicly-funded health care system. It provides policy support for the federal government's Canada Health Transfer to provinces and territories, and provides funding through grants and contributions to various organizations to help meet Health Canada's objectives. Lastly, the Department draws on leading-edge science and policy research to generate and share knowledge and information to support decision-making by Canadians, development and implementation of regulations and standards, and health innovation.

More information on Health Canada activities, plans and performance are detailed in the Departmental Performance Report.

Health Canada travel, hospitality and conferences costs are associated with activities and events necessary to support the statutory, regulatory and the service provider requirements to deliver services to Canadians and to meet government wide priorities and departmental mandates.

As summarized in the table below, Health Canada's expenditure for travel, hospitality, and conferences (THC) totalled $220.1M in 2011-2012 as follows,

• $179.6M for eligible First Nations and Inuit clients under the Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) Program to access medically necessary health services that cannot be obtained on-reserve or in their community of residence, and;
• $10.4M for eligible former students and their families under the Indian Residential Schools Resolution (IRS) Health Support Program to access mental and emotional support services. The Department is obligated to provide these services under the 2006 Court-Approved IRS Settlement Agreement.

Excluding medical transportation, there was a net decrease for non-medical travel, hospitality and conference fees. The 2011-2012 expenditures for these categories were $30.1M. This is a $1.5M decrease from the 2010-2011 expenditures of $31.6M.

Regular non-medical expenditure in 2011-2012, amounting to $28.9M or 13.1% of Health Canada's total THC envelope, was for other essential travel requirements critical to health and safety of Canadians, such as those related to compliance and enforcement activities for various regulatory programs involving food, pharmaceuticals, consumer products, and others. Hospitality and conferences expenditures in 2011-2012, totalling $1.2M or less than 1% of the Health Canada's THC envelope, was associated with minimal, essential activities that were necessary for delivery of Health Canada programs and services, including conducting business with other levels of government, industry, or public interest groups as well as departmental business meetings and working sessions.

Overall, Health Canada manages travel, hospitality, and conference activities / expenditures with prudence and probity so that they demonstrate value for money and use the most economical options to minimize costs whenever possible.

Total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences of Health Canada for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 are summarized below:

Total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences of Health Canada for 2010-2011 and 2011-2012

Expenditure Category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2012 (a)	Expenditures for the previous year ending March 31, 2011 (b)	VarianceTable 1 footnote 1 (a - b)
	(in thousands of dollars)
Table 1 footnotes Table 1 footnote 1 Includes international travel that is part of a department's program. Return to table 1 footnote * referrer Table 1 footnote 2 The columns for the previous year ending and variances are only necessary for the second and subsequent years of reporting (i.e. fiscal year 2011-2012, or until the second year of a department's existence where the department did not exist prior to March 31, 2011). Return to table 1 footnote 1 referrer
Travel - Public Servants	$25,370	$25,697	($327)
Travel - Non-Public Servants	$3,489	$4,440	($951)
Travel - Patient	$189,981	$171,820	$18,161
International Travel by Minister and Minister's StaffTable 1 footnote *	$15	$48	($33)
Total Travel	$218,855	$202,006	$16,849
Hospitality	$523	$825	($302)
Conference Fees	$683	$566	$117
TOTAL	$220,061	$203,397	$16,664

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year.

This section is used to provide a brief explanation of significant variances from the previous year's annual expenditures for each category.

Travel

1. Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures by public servants decreased by $327K mainly due to:
   • Public servant travel costs were reduced as a result of general fiscal restraint during fiscal year 2011-2012 across the department, as well as non-recurrence of one time travel costs reflected in 2010-2011 data.
2. Non-Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures by non-public servants decreased by $951K mainly due to:
   • The reduction in Non-public servant travel costs was a result of general fiscal restraint during fiscal year 2011-2012 across the department.
3. Patient Travel: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental patient travel expenditures have increased by $18.2M mainly due to:
   • Growth in medically related travel expenditures in 2011-2012 resulted from population growth and the extension of status to new groups.
   • The increased travel costs with respect to travel by former Indian Residential School (IRS) students and their families to access professional counselling and cultural support services.
4. Minister and Minister's Staff: Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental travel expenditures by the minister and his/her staff decreased by $33K mainly due to:
   • The decrease for the Minister and Minister's Staff was due to fewer travel requirements during fiscal year 2011-2012 compared to the previous fiscal year.

Hospitality

Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $302K mainly due to:

• The decrease in hospitality was due to a reduction in the number and the size of events requiring hospitality. There was also a concerted effort to minimize the use of hospitality.

Conference Fees

Compared to fiscal year 2010-2011, departmental conference fees expenditures increased by $117K mainly due to:

• Increased costs in the regulatory areas in support of stakeholder engagement activities.