Departmental procedures related to Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures (THCEE)

The Treasury Board (TB) Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures and the Departmental Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures Policy requires pre-approved authorization for travel, hospitality, conference and Event activity.

THCEE - General Information

The Delegation of Financial Authority Instrument must be read in conjunction with the Supplementary Notes (Section 6 of the Instrument), which define any restrictions and financial limitations. All values include applicable taxes.

For any questions, you must first contact your Branch/Region THCEE Coordinator.

THCEE Procedures

In cases where the delegated authority is determined to be at the Senior Departmental Manager (SDM – Deputy Minister direct reports) or lower level, then the proper documentation, including all the required justifications, is to be maintained by the program area for possible post-audit follow-up.

THCEE Decision Tree (PDF, 238 KB)

THCEE Tool

THCEE Tool (XLSM, 479 KB)

A tool has been developed to support the application of the ESDC policy. The tool is designed to be intuitive and includes the application of the policy and existing tools. In order to ensure you have the most recent version of the tool, we recommend downloading a copy of it each time you need to use it.

All costs presented on the THCEE form must include applicable taxes, gratuities and miscellaneous fees.

You must use the THCEE Tool if your activity constitutes an Event, includes any hospitality or conference fees. The tool can still be used for other types of expenses related to an activity, whether or not it is an Event and at the discretion of the Branch.

Documents to include in an approval package:

  1. Memorandum
  2. THCEE Authorization Form using the THCEE Tool (XLSM, 479 KB). If it does not meet your needs due to the complexity of your activity, contact the Financial Policy team: nc-cfob-financial_po@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
  3. Travel Plan (XLSX, 30 KB) (if applicable)
  4. Summary of Hospitality Expenditures (XLSX, 23 KB) (if applicable)
  5. Agenda (if available)
  6. Participants List (if available)
  7. All other relevant documents related to the Approval Request
  • Travel

    Visit the Travel section to find information about travel requests, travel arrangements, applicable expenses and more.

    • Blanket Travel Authority (BTA)
      • BTA’s are not to be used for a departmental organization or a group of employees.
      • The BTA’s will include all the Trip Authorization Elements of the Table 1 (refer to Annex A of the TB Directive on THCEE) information applying the best cost estimates available.
      • The BTAs may only be established for travel that is repetitive in nature (four or more times per fiscal year), for the same reason and type of travel, and where there is a compelling argument for administrative efficiency (Refer to Article 4.3.6. of the Departmental THCEE Policy).
      • If an employee will be attending an Event and travel is required, the expenditure initiation approval for the Event takes precedence over any BTA arrangement in place for that employee. This means that the BTA cannot be used.

      BTA form (XLSX, 92 KB)

  • Hospitality

    Normally consists of the provision of meals and refreshments when it is a matter of courtesy, diplomacy or protocol or it is necessary to facilitate government business.

    First Nations, Inuit and Metis

    ESDC’s First Nations, Inuit and Métis Elder Protocol Guide was developed to help you engage with Indigenous Elders respectfully and in accordance with departmental policies.

    The Guide is the product of close collaboration between the Indigenous Coordination and Engagement Division, the Indigenous Employees’ Circle and the Chief Financial Officer Branch.

    For further details, contact: NC-ICE-MAC-GD, nc-ice-mac-gd@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.

    • Rates per person (as of October 1, 2021)

      Canada – Hospitality

      Food and Beverage
      Standard per Person      		Maximum per Person requires Deputy Minister’s approval
      1.5 x Standard per Person
      Breakfast x 1.5 = $32.02 $48.04
      Refreshments x 0.5 = $10.67 $16.00
      Lunch x 2 = $43.20 $64.80
      Reception: Breakfast x 2 = $42.70 $64.05
      Dinner x 1.75 = $92.75 $139.12

      Meal Allowance

      • Canada
        • Breakfast: $21.35
        • Lunch: $21.60
        • Dinner: $53.00
        • Incidental: $17.30
      • Nunavut
        • Breakfast: $28.25
        • Lunch: $34.30
        • Dinner: $91.35
        • Incidental: $17.30
      • North West Territories (NWT)
        • Breakfast: $24.80
        • Lunch: $30.05
        • Dinner: $64.35
        • Incidental: $17.30
      • Yukon Alaska
        • Breakfast: $22.90
        • Lunch: $21.05
        • Dinner: $60.65
        • Incidental: $17.30
    • Blanket Hospitality Authority (BHA)
      • BHAs may be used on an exceptional basis where substantial administrative savings can be demonstrated and assurance that the risks will be mitigated.
      • All requests for BHAs must be submitted, in the prescribed form for review and approval by the CFO.
      • BHAs cannot be used for hospitality that would otherwise have to be approved by the DM or Minister.

      BHA form (XLSX, 65 KB)

  • Conference vs Training

    Conference:

    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).

    Conference Decision Tree (PDF, 211 KB)

    The Departmental Conference vs Training List (XLSX, 52 KB)

    Training:

    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.

    Please note that when your training is paid by the Learning Investment Funds (B011), a learning Internal Order (IO) is required to track all expenditures related to the learning activities (e.g. course costs, travel costs and/or participation costs such as registration fees) unless your training is considered an Event (Conference Event) or includes an international travel, in which case, an Event or International Travel IO is to be used. Please note that a learning IO is different from an International Travel or Event IO. For more information, please refer to the College’s iService webpage on Internal Orders for Learning.

  • Event

    Event:

    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.

    To facilitate the application of Treasury Board’s directive and Departmental THCEE Policy, you must use the THCEE Tool (XLSM, 479 KB) as the official Event approval form at ESDC.

    The total estimated costs for any single Event must include all the departmental expenses associated to the activity (sometimes from multiples-branches), which include but are not limited to transportation, accommodation, meals, conference fees, professional services and hospitality.

    Important: An Event Internal Order (IO) must be used for all the expenses related to an Event. Contact the Financial Policy team: nc-cfob-financial_po@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca to get an IO for your approved Event.

Questions

For any questions, you can contact the Financial Policy team: nc-cfob-financial_po@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca.