Government of Canada Finds More Ways to Cut Operating Expenses and Make Spending More Accountable

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Oct. 8, 2012) - The Honourable Tony Clement, President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for FedNor, today announced new measures that will result in savings for Canadian taxpayers and enhanced accountability across the government.

"The Government of Canada is committed to saving taxpayers dollars. Our Government is looking at all areas to reduce operational spending, including in our own ministerial offices," said Minister Clement. "We're also identifying areas where we can make our controls stronger to increase accountability."

Ministers will now approve spending for all department-related events where total planned costs of a single event are above $25,000. These costs include travel (transportation, accommodations, and meals), hospitality, professional fees, conference fees and facility rental.

"Over the past eighteen months, fair, balanced and moderate savings measures have contributed to reduce the Government's deficit. The majority of the savings found are through operational efficiencies," added Minister Clement.

Keeping with the Government's agenda of responsible spending, new controls are being added to the Directive on the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences, which was introduced in 2011, to ensure the most cost-effective measures are adopted.

The amended Policies for Ministers' Offices and the Directive on the Management of Expenditures on Travel, Hospitality and Conferences are available on the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat website.

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This news release is available at www.tbs-sct.gc.ca.

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