Proactive disclosure of travel and hospitality
DFO is required through Bill C-58, (Access to Information Act) assented on June 21, 2019 to post all travel and hospitality expenses for Ministers, Ministers of State, Ministerial advisers, Parliamentary Secretaries, and their exempt staff on Open Government site.
Under this Bill, information is collected on a monthly basis and must be published within 30 days after the end of the month in which the expenses are reimbursed as indicated below:
| Month | Reporting period in which expenses reimbursed | Publication deadline |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 1 to April 30 | May 30 |
| 2 | May 1 to May 31 | June 30 |
| 3 | June 1 to June 30 | July 30 |
| 4 | July 1 to July 31 | August 30 |
| 5 | August 1 to August 31 | September 30 |
| 6 | September 1 to September 30 | October 30 |
| 7 | October 1 to October 31 | November 30 |
| 8 | November 1 to November 30 | December 30 |
| 9 | December 1 to December 31 | January 30 |
| 10 | January 1 to January 31 | March 2 (March 1 on a leap year) |
| 11 | February 1 to February 28 | March 30 |
| 12 | March 1 to March 31 | April 30 |
When the above dates for posting fall on a weekend or statutory holiday, information must be published on-line by the last business day before the weekend or holiday in question.
The travel report is required to include the following information (in both official languages)
- Disclosure group
- Title of traveler
- Name of traveler
- Purpose of travel
- Date(s) of travel (start and end dates)
- Destination(s)
- Other transportation
- Accommodation
- Meals & incidentals
- Airfare
- Other expenses
- Total expenses
The hospitality report is required to include the following information (in both official languages)
- Disclosure group
- Name and title of senior officer or employee
- Type and purpose of hospitality
- Date of hospitality
- Attendees (# of government &. # of other)
- Name of establishment
- Municipality where the hospitality activity took place
- Total cost
Notes:
- A hospitality event in which the Minister attends will be reported under the Minister’s name, not the claimant (exempt staff within the Minister’s office)
- Reported amounts must be in Canadian currency and include taxes
- Disclosure is applicable only once all of the travel expenses related to the claim have been granted certification authority section 34 of the Financial Administration Act (FAA), and payment authority section 33 of the FAA
- All expenses for a trip are to be published together once the travel expense claim for the trip has been approved and recorded in the department financial management system
Travel and hospitality reports are distributed to the traveller and hospitality claimant to review, make the necessary changes, approve and sign. Each exempt staff member is required to sign one report per month (nil reports must also be signed).
The Office Manager will create the attestations using the previous month’s travel and hospitality expenses, which will then be provided to your office to ensure accuracy and for signature before external publication.
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