Global Affairs Canada has confessed it doesn’t actually know how much it spends each year on travel, hospitality, and administrative costs related to its development programs — and says collecting that information would be “not feasible.”

In response to a written question from Conservative MP Lianne Rood (Middlesex–London), the department admitted its financial system can’t track these basic expenditures by region, project, or division. To calculate them, officials said, would require a manual review that could lead to “incomplete or potentially misleading information.”

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The department did disclose that it burned through $396 million in 2023–24 and another $372 million in 2024–25 in operating costs under the so-called International Assistance Envelope, which includes development spending.

Officials insisted that “hospitality expenditures trends reflect a reduction in hospitality costs compared to pre-pandemic levels,” crediting “increased adoption of virtual engagements” and “enhanced fiscal prudence.” But while the number of official trips has gone down, the average cost per trip has gone up, something the government did not explain.

Global Affairs also acknowledged it doesn’t track how many staff travel abroad for development work, nor does it assess whether those expenses actually improve project outcomes.