Report on Annual Expenditures for Travel, Hospitality and Conferences - March 31, 2012

As required by the Treasury Board Directive on the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences, this report provides information about the Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC)’s total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality, and conferences. This report covers 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.

Expenditures incurred by federal departments and agencies for travel, hospitality, and conferences are related to activities that support organizational mandate(s) and the government’s priorities.

The PPSC is an independent prosecution service whose main objective is to prosecute offences under federal jurisdiction in a manner that is free of any improper influence and that respects the public interest. Its mandate is set out in the Director of Public Prosecutions Act^{Footnote 1}. The Act calls on the PPSC to provide prosecutorial advice to law enforcement agencies, and to prosecute matters on behalf of the Crown that are within the jurisdiction of the Attorney General of Canada. The PPSC’s sole strategic outcome is the prosecution of criminal and regulatory offences under federal law in a manner that is independent, impartial, and fair.

The PPSC plays an integral role in the criminal justice system, promoting due process and working to safeguard the rights of all those who come into contact with the system. The benefits to Canadians from the work carried out by the PPSC include:

• provision of legal advice to police forces and federal investigative agencies on the criminal law implications of investigations and prosecutions;
• appropriate enforcement of federal laws through principled and independent decisions by prosecutors; and
• confidence in the administration of justice through professionally conducted prosecutions that result in a judicial determination on the merits of the evidence.

The PPSC’s total annual expenditures for travel, hospitality and conferences, are summarized below:

(in thousands of dollars)

Expenditure Category	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2012 (a)	Expenditures for the year ending March 31, 2011 (b)	Variance (a-b)
Total	4,205	4,317	(112)
Travel – Public Servants	4,067	4,198	(131)
Travel – Non-Public Servants	89	85	4
International Travel by Minister and Minister’s Staff	0	0	0
Total Travel	4,156	4,283	(127)
Hospitality	9	15	(6)
Conference Fees	40	19	21

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:

Public Servants: Compared to fiscal year 2010–2011, departmental travel expenditures by public servants decreased mainly due to a national legal conference that was held in 2010-11 only.

Hospitality:

Compared to fiscal year 2010–2011, departmental hospitality expenditures decreased mainly due to a new practice that was implemented for the offering of meals and refreshments. These are offered to participants only if it is essential to ensure the maximum efficiency of the meeting and when there are no restaurants nearby.

Conference Fees:

Compared to fiscal year 2010–2011, departmental conference fees expenditures increased mainly due to the requirement for conference attendance as part of continued professional development for lawyers and other professionals.