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 Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2020, 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 related to activities that support the department or agency’s mandate and the government’s priorities.
IRB’s travel, hospitality and conference expenditures support the delivery of the following core programs and services:
- The IRB renders quality decisions and resolves cases in a timely manner regarding immigration and refugee protection cases. This includes determining refugee protection claims and appeals and applications to vacate or cease refugee protection. It also includes making decisions on admissibility hearings and detention reviews, and on appeals on certain immigration cases. The IRB delivers these services through the following four divisions:
- Refugee Protection Division
- Refugee Appeal Division
- Immigration Division
- Immigration Appeal Division
- The IRB carries out its work in Ottawa and three regional offices: Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, one satellite office in Calgary, points of service in Winnipeg and Edmonton and itinerant locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba as required. All these sites hold hearings, supported by adjudicative and corporate support.
More information on the IRB’s mandate and activities can be found in the
2019-2020 Departmental Result Report and
2020-2021 Departmental Plan.
Travel, Hospitality and Conference Expenditures
Immigration Refugee Board of Canada
Year ended March 31, 2020
| Expenditure Category | Expenditures for Year Ended March 31, 2020 ($ Thousands) | Expenditures for Year Ended March 31, 2019 ($ Thousands) | Variance($ Thousands) |
|---|
| Travel |
| Operational Activities | 897 | 797 | 100 |
| Key Stakeholders | 120 | 133 | -13 |
| Internal Governance | 475 | 717 | -242 |
| Training | 738 | 773 | -35 |
| Other | 64 | 93 | -29 |
| A. Total Travel | 2,294 | 2,513 | -219 |
| B. Hospitality | 46 | 96 | -50 |
| C. Conference Fees | 46 | 79 | -33 |
| Total [A+B+C] | 2,386 | 2,688 | -302 |
| International Travel by Minister and Minister’s Staff (Included in Travel) | Not applicable | Not Applicable | Not applicable |
Significant variances compared with previous fiscal year
Total travel
Compared with fiscal year 2018-2019, travel expenditures decreased by $0.2 million (9%), from $2.5 million in 2018-2019 to $2.3 million in 2019-2020. In 2019-2020, travel declined primarily in the Refugee Protection Division due to efforts in the last quarter to limit travel to asylum hearings, as well as overall reduction in travel towards the end of the fiscal year to mitigate risk of spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Hospitality
Compared with fiscal year 2018-2019, hospitality expenditures decreased by just over 50%, primarily due to a reduction in the number of training sessions and operational planning sessions that would normally require hospitality.
Conference fees
Compared with fiscal year 2018-2019, conference fees decreased by approximately 40%, due primarily to an overall reduction in participation to conferences and events.