Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences 2017-18

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 Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018, 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.

The CNSC’s travel, hospitality and conference expenditures support the delivery of the following core programs and services to Canadians:

• regulating the development, production and use of nuclear energy in Canada to protect health, safety and the environment
• regulating the production, possession, use and transport of nuclear substances, and the production, possession and use of prescribed equipment and prescribed information
• implementing measures respecting international control of the development, production, transport and use of nuclear energy and substances, including measures respecting the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear explosive devices
• disseminating objective scientific, technical and regulatory information concerning the CNSC’s activities, and about how the development, production, possession, transport and use of nuclear substances affect the environment and the health and safety of persons

For more information on the CNSC’s mandate and core programs and/or services, please consult the CNSC’s Departmental Results Report or Departmental Plan.

Travel, hospitality and conference expenditures

Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Expenditure category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2018 ($ thousands)	Expenditures for the previous year ending March 31, 2017** ($ thousands)	Variance** ($ thousands)
Travel
Operational activities	$3,454	N/A	N/A
Key stakeholders	$582	N/A	N/A
Internal governance	$178	N/A	N/A
Training	$727	N/A	N/A
Other	$70	N/A	N/A
A. Total travel	$5,011	$4,637	$374
B. Hospitality	$140	$97	$43
C. Conference fees	$107	$83	$24
Total (A+B+C)	$5,258	$4,817	$441
International travel by minister and minister’s staff* (included in travel)	N/A	N/A	N/A

* CNSC reports to Parliament through the Minister of Natural Resources, whose travel expenses are included in Natural Resources Canada's Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences.

** The 2017–18 annual report format is new and departments were not required to restate their travel expenditures for the year ended March 31, 2017; therefore, the expenditures by travel category are shown as N/A.

Significant variances compared to the previous fiscal year

Travel: Compared with fiscal year 2016–17, departmental travel expenditures increased in relation to regulatory oversight demands, outreach and governance activities, and cost of living increases.

Hospitality: Compared with fiscal year 2016–17, departmental hospitality expenditures increased mainly as a result of an increase in the number of Commission hearings and outreach activities hosted by the department. Expenditures were incurred in 2017–18 in support of public hearings for the licence renewals of the Point Lepreau Generating Station and Chalk River Laboratories, which took place in the affected communities and required provision for large contingents of staff and Commission members.

Conference Fees: Compared with fiscal year 2016–17, departmental conference expenditures increased mainly as a result of stakeholder engagement and an increase in the numbers of conferences attended by the CNSC’s Technical Support Branch.