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, 2013.
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 $222.6M in 2012-2013 as follows:
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.
Expenditure Category | Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2013 (a) |
Expenditures for the previous year ending March 31, 2012 (b) |
VarianceTable 1 footnote 1 (a - b) |
---|---|---|---|
(in thousands of dollars) | |||
Table 1 footnotes
|
|||
Travel - Patient | $197,961 | $189,981 | $7,980 |
Travel - Public Servants | $20,976 | $25,370 | ($4,394) |
Travel - Non-Public Servants | $2,814 | $3,489 | ($675) |
International Travel by Minister and Minister's StaffTable 1 footnote 2 | $35 | $15 | $20 |
Total Travel | $221,786 | $218,855 | $2,931 |
Hospitality | $275 | $523 | ($248) |
Conference Fees | $507 | $683 | ($176) |
TOTAL | $222,568 | $220,061 | $2,507 |
This section is used to provide a brief explanation of significant variances from the previous year's annual expenditures for each category.
Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased by $248K mainly due to:
Compared to fiscal year 2011-2012, departmental conference fees expenditures decreased by $176K mainly due to: