This release was issued under a previous government.
Public notification of international travel by government elected officials will continue to be done through news releases. Effective immediately, international travel news releases will provide more complete and transparent information prior to travel. The changes include:
- cost estimates for the entire delegation, including all Government of Alberta staff travelling on the mission, staff doing advance mission work and security staff;
- cost estimates for receptions that are hosted by the Government of Alberta; and
- cost estimates for other incidental expenses, such as translation of documents, wireless costs and charges for services provided by Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates.
News releases will be issued no later than 24 hours in advance of an elected official leaving the country, unless there are security concerns.
“Having elected officials on international missions allows Alberta to secure high-level meetings and develop face-to-face relationships that boost our province’s trade and investment ties. These changes will ensure we are being as transparent as possible when reporting the costs of international missions to Albertans.”
This new policy provides a co-ordinated approach so the Government of Alberta costs for one mission are located in one place.
Post-mission costs will be found on the International Travel section of the expense disclosure website within two months of returning from an international mission. As a result of this move to clearer and more comprehensive reporting, estimated mission costs in future news releases will in many cases appear higher than those reported previously for similar missions.