Disclosure of travel and hospitality expenses for the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar

Pursuant to sections 90.03 to 90.04 of the Access to Information Act

Bill C-58, An Act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other Acts, received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, thereby bringing into force important changes to openness and transparency in government. Bill C-58 adds a new part to the Access to Information Act that requires institutions to proactively publish specific information or documents that are known to be of interest to the public and which will provide greater transparency in relation to the use of public funds. These requirements apply, among others, to administrative institutions that support the courts.

The provisions of the Access to Information Act in relation to the institutions that support the courts came into force 1 year after Royal Assent, namely on June 21, 2020. As a result, there are changes in the manner in which the Office of the Registrar of the Supreme Court of Canada (ORSCC) is required to publish certain information relating to travel and hospitality expenses incurred with the Supreme Court of Canada by the Registrar and the Deputy Registrar.

The rules and principles governing travel are outlined in Treasury Board’s Travel Directive and Special Travel Authorities. The purpose of these directives is to provide for the reimbursement of reasonable expenses necessarily incurred during travel on government business.

The ORSCC extends hospitality in accordance with the rules and principles outlined in the Treasury Board Directive on Travel, Hospitality, Conference and Event Expenditures. The objective of the directive is to ensure that hospitality is extended in an economical and affordable way when it facilitates government business or is considered desirable as a matter of courtesy and protocol.