Effective date

Effective dateThis standard takes effect on April 1, 2017, and incorporates changes effective as of August 1, 2020.This standard replaces the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, Appendix 1 dated August 1, 2013.StandardsThis standard provides details on the requirements set out in sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.The CFO is responsible for the following standards:

Planning

Ensuring that travel for both public servants and non-public servants is avoided where appropriate and that travel is cost efficient including: Limiting the number of departmental travellers to the minimum necessary to deliver the business of the government; andSelecting the most economical means of travel when booking transportation, accommodations and meeting facilities;Ensuring that the travel entitlements under provisions in the National Joint Council Foreign Service Directives, the National Joint Council Relocation Directive or the National Joint Council Isolated Posts and Government Housing Directive are not subject to travel expenditure initiation under this Appendix. Travel costs authorized by these directives are to be coded in the Government-wide Chart of Accounts solely to those items; Advising ministers and their exempt staff that their travel undertaken in support of departmental business is not subject to travel expenditure initiation under this Appendix;

Travel Authorization (Approval authority required for expenditure initiation)

Ensuring that the travel approval authorities that are delegated below the senior departmental manager level are supported by the following operational needs: The program’s operations are regionally or globally dispersed and there is no senior departmental manager present in certain offices;The operational requirements for travel are frequent, may involve a significant number of travellers and concentrating approvals with one position would create potential delays; orThe potential for delay in obtaining approval could be injurious to the public interest or the timely delivery of departmental services or operations;Ensuring that travel authorization is exercised in either of the followings ways: Approval by the delegated manager for a trip; orApproval by the delegated manager of a travel plan that reasonably covers the authorization elements of Table 1; Significant changes to trips within the travel plan are to be reapproved by the delegated manager;Ensuring that travel approval authorities under this directive do not apply to: Local travel within the normal office location and surrounding working area of a public servant; orTravel required to respond rapidly to urgent and unforeseeable events that require public servants or non–public servants to provide expertise or delivery of departmental programs or services to safeguard health, safety and security; Expenditure initiation approval for such emergency travel can be authorized by the appropriate fund centre manager with subsequent disclosure of the travel costs to the deputy head; Ensuring that the following categories of travel are identified as part of the travel authorization for each proposed trip: Operational activities - Travel required to support the department’s operational activities (other than the following categories), legislative or legal requirements;Key stakeholders - Travel necessary to engage key stakeholders in relation to such matters as policy, program or regulatory development or renewal;Internal governance - Travel necessary to support sound internal departmental governance;Training - Travel necessary to enable the training of public servants; andOther travel;Ensuring that the trip data elements of Table 1 are included, at a minimum, in the travel authorization form for expenditure initiation purposes.

Table 1 Checklist of Trip Authorization Elements
Element	Description
A. Objective	Summarize the objective of the travel.
B. Category	Include the applicable category from A.2.2.7. Provide a detailed explanation of the purpose of the travel if the “Other travel” category is selected.
C. Traveller as public servant or non-public servant	Identify whether a public servant or non-public servant.
D. Virtual presence or other remote meeting solutions	Rationale why virtual presence or other remote meeting solutions were not applied.
E. Number of travellers	Rationale for the number of travellers as it relates to the suitability of the named traveller for the stated objective.
F. Mode of transportation	Identify the estimated cost and rationale for the use of each of the applicable modes of transport: air, rail, taxi, personal motor vehicle, rental motor vehicle, and other modes.
G. Accommodations	Identify the estimated cost and rationale for the accommodation selected.
H. Meals	Identify the estimated cost of the meals based on the meal allowances set out in the National Joint Council Travel Directive, excluding those meals that are paid as part of the event or the mode of transportation.
I. Incidentals and other costs	Identify the estimated cost of the incidentals and other costs based on the allowances set out in the National Joint Council Travel Directive.

Acting as the delegated travel approval authority in situations where the traveller is the deputy head;Ensuring that a blanket travel authority (BTA), as specified under the National Joint Council Travel Directive, include all Table 1 information;

Companion Travel

Ensuring that travel expenditures for companions are prohibited unless expressly provided for under legislation, regulations, orders-in-council, National Joint Council directives, collective agreements or other Treasury Board–approved instruments, or unless ministerial approval is granted pursuant to A.2.2.12. Seeking ministerial approval for expenditure initiation of companion travel expenses in situations not provided for under legislation, regulations, orders-in-council, National Joint Council directives, collective agreements or other Treasury Board–approved instruments. This authority can only be delegated to the deputy head.

Additional Reporting

Ensuring that the department collects and retains the following in its departmental financial management or related systems: The travel category (element B specified in Table 1) for authorized travel; andBoth authorized and actual data for elements F to I specified in Table 1.Disclosing the aggregate of actual annual expenditures of the travel categories, as part of 4.1.2 under this directive.

Effective dateThis standard takes effect on April 1, 2017, and incorporates changes effective as of August 1, 2020.This standard replaces the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, Appendix 2 dated August 1, 2013.StandardsThis standard provides details on the requirements set out in sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.The CFO is responsible for the following standards:

Planning

Ensuring that decisions to offer hospitality are carefully considered and necessary based on courtesy, diplomacy, protocol or to facilitate the achievement of the business of the government.Ensuring that the provision of food and beverages is in accordance with the cost limits in Table 2 where: The standard cost per person is the expected meal cost per person to be applied in normal circumstances;

Table 2 – Maximum Food and beverage Cost Per Person (based on allowances set out in the National Joint Council Travel Directive)
Food and beverages	Standard Cost per Person	Maximum Cost per Person
Breakfast	1.5 X Breakfast Allowance	1.5 X Standard Cost Per Person
Refreshment	0.5 X Breakfast Allowance
Lunch	2.0 X Lunch Allowance
Reception	2.0 X Breakfast Allowance
Dinner	1.75 X Dinner Allowance

Ensuring that when only public servants are present, hospitality can only be provided in situations where: Participation is required in operational meetings, training or events that extend beyond normal working hours including where: There are no nearby or appropriate facilities to obtain refreshments or meals; or Staff dispersal is not effective or efficient;Ensuring that meals provided to public servants in the course of their duties, where a department has no discretion in their provision, are not subject to hospitality authorization under this directive;Ensuring that hospitality, including with any of the following elements, is only provided to non-public servants and the minimum required number of public servants for reasons of courtesy, diplomacy or protocol: Alcoholic beverages;Entertainment activities;Local transportation to and from an event or activity; andFacility rental and associated items which are directly and inherently for hospitality purposes;

Hospitality Authorization (Approval authority required for expenditure initiation)

Seeking ministerial approval when the following hospitality components are present, unless any or all components have been delegated by the minister to the deputy head: Total hospitality costs exceed $10,000; Alcoholic beverages will be provided;Food and beverage costs exceed the standard cost per person, up to the maximum cost per person (Table 2);Food and beverage costs exceed the maximum cost per person (Table 2);Entertainment will be provided; Hospitality or entertainment will be provided to a person accompanying an event participant; or Hospitality paid by the federal government will be extended at the residence of a public servant; Seeking deputy head approval for the following: When the total hospitality costs exceed $3,000 but are $10,000 or less and, if delegated to the deputy head, any components listed in B.2.2.6 requiring ministerial approval that are present; Ensuring that approval of the senior departmental manager, or the delegated manager, is obtained when total hospitality costs associated with the event are $3,000 or less, and none of the elements listed in B.2.2.6 are present;Ensuring that, with the exception of the minister, an appropriate alternative approval authority is obtained when the individual who would normally approve the hospitality is also a participant at the hospitality activity;Approving hospitality up to the deputy head limits set out in B.2.2.7 in situations where the deputy head is in attendance at a hospitality activity and would normally approve the hospitality;Ensuring that blanket hospitality authorities (BHA) for expenditure initiation, which do not include any elements requiring ministerial approval as set out in B.2.2.6 or as delegated to the deputy head, are: Approved for use within a particular fiscal year;Supported by sound rationale and proper oversight, accountabilities and controls including: Quarterly internal departmental reporting, at a minimum, of planned and actual blanket hospitality authorities expenditures; andReapproved for individual hospitality prior to its occurrence, if possible, when there are any exceptions to the BHA parameters.

Private Club Memberships

Ensuring that the purchase of private club memberships is prohibited unless expressly permitted under legislation, regulations, orders-in-council, National Joint Council directives or other Treasury Board–approved instruments, or unless ministerial approval is granted pursuant to B.2.2.13. Seeking ministerial approval for private club memberships in situations not covered under legislation, regulations, orders-in-council, National Joint Council directives or other Treasury Board–approved instruments. This authority can only be delegated to the deputy head.

Effective dateThis standard takes effect on April 1, 2017.This standard replaces the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, Appendix 3 dated August 1, 2013.StandardsThis standard provides details on the requirements set out in sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.The CFO is responsible for the following standards:

Planning

Ensuring that the objective of attending a conference is specified in the applicable conference approval document. Where travel is involved, the travel authorization elements of Table 1 in Appendix A will apply;Limiting the number of public servants attending a conference from a department to the minimum necessary to achieve the departmental objective;

Conference Authorization (Approval authority required for expenditure initiation)

Ensuring that the conference approval authority set out in the departmental delegation of financial and spending authorities chart is at the senior departmental manager level; andEnsuring that when multiple public servants attend the same conference, event approval is obtained for the total planned conference costs as set out in Appendix D.

Effective dateThis standard takes effect on April 1, 2017.This standard replaces the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures, Appendix 4 dated August 1, 2013.StandardsThis standard provides details on the requirements set out in sections 4.1 and 4.2 of the Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures.The CFO is responsible for the following standards:

Planning

Ensuring that the appropriate number of public servants attend an event when the total event costs are submitted for approval, as specified in D.2.2.3 to D.2.2.6;Ensuring that training activities are not considered as an event and are approved as part of an individual’s training plan by the appropriate manager as set out in the departmental delegation of financial and spending authorities chart;

Event Authorization (Approval authority required for expenditure initiation)

Seeking ministerial approval when total departmental costs associated with an event exceed $50,000;Ensuring that the minister is provided with the total estimated federal cost for all participating departments, including the total estimated travel costs, for information purposes, when their approval is required for an event hosted by the department;Seeking deputy head approval of an event when total departmental costs associated with the event exceed $25,000 but are $50,000 or less; andEnsuring that approval of the senior departmental manager or the delegated manager of an event is obtained when the total departmental costs associated with the event are $25,000 or less.

blanket hospitality authority (autorisation générale pour l’accueil)

Authorization for hospitality which is continuous or repetitive in nature and where it is not practical or administratively efficient to obtain prior approval for each individual hospitality occurrence.

companion (personne accompagnante)

Spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner or family member of the traveller or any other individual accompanying a traveller and who is not on government business.

conferences (conférences)

Refer to a congress, convention, seminar, symposium or other formal gathering, which are usually organized by a third party external to government, where participants debate or are informed of the status of a discipline (e.g. sciences, economics, technology, management). (This definition is based on the object of expenditure 0823 Conference Fees of the Government-wide Chart of Accounts).

entertainment activities (activités de divertissement)

The action of being provided with amusement or enjoyment and includes, but is not limited to tickets to musical, theatre, sporting or similar events, tours of local or other places of interest, and other similar activities for reasons of courtesy, diplomacy and protocol.

events (événements)

Involve gatherings of individuals (both public and/or non-public servants) engaged in activities other than operational activities of the department. Examples of events include, but are not limited to:

Management and staff retreats;
Participation in conferences;
Awards and recognition ceremonies; and
Departmental celebrations.

hospitality (accueil)

Consists of the provision of meals, beverages or refreshments in events which are necessary for the effective conduct of government business and for courtesy, diplomacy or protocol purposes.

operational activities (activités opérationnelles)

Are those activities undertaken to deliver departmental programs and services including departmental internal services.

For individuals, operational activities are those activities undertaken in the performance of their assigned tasks, as set out in position descriptions, terms of reference, statements of work or other like documents.

Any gathering of individuals, the purpose of which is not to conduct operational activities, shall be defined as an “event”.

private club (club privé)

An organization, institution, facility or premises offering common social and recreational amenities for the enjoyment of members and their guests. Members of private clubs share common goals and interests, and often use private clubs to create business and networking contacts in order to advance their organization’s strategies, plans and priorities.

reception (réception)

A function over a prolonged period of time, where food may be served for the purpose of sustaining attendees and where a meal may or may not be served afterward.

refreshments (rafraîchissements)

Beverages or food (e.g. light snacks) or both, served between meals.

training (formation)

Fees paid for formal learning activities, which include a curriculum and established learning objectives, and where the primary purpose is to enable participants to maintain or acquire skills or knowledge.