Ottawa  – The Standing Committee on Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration (CIBA) adopted a report from the Subcommittee on Senate Estimates and Committee Budgets (SEBS) on Thursday, November 27, 2025 that included recommendations for criteria that must be met before a co-ordinated travel event is authorized. Reimbursement for such activities will be paused until a two-year pilot project launches on April 1, 2026; in the interim, SEBS will develop specific guidelines for CIBA’s consideration similar to guidelines used for Senate committee travel.

Also known as regional familiarization tours, co-ordinated travel events have occasionally been organized by senators with the aim of increasing their colleagues’ awareness of regional issues through fact-finding exercises and meetings with stakeholder groups. While these activities were permitted under the Senate’s rules, SEBS conducted consultations with senators over the summer that showed a consensus in favour of establishing a robust governance policy to ensure transparency and assess results.

Per the report recommendations adopted by CIBA, a senator proposing co-ordinated travel will have to present a travel plan to SEBS for approval, including a detailed budget. The initiating senator will also be required to submit a travel report to CIBA within 90 days of the completion of travel. The report will be public and include a breakdown of costs, areas visited and benefits to Canadians.

CIBA is grateful to SEBS for its diligent work on this issue.

Associated Links

• Watch the discussion at the November 27, 2025 meeting of CIBA.
• Follow the committee on social media using #CIBA.
• Subscribe to email alerts for Senate committees.
• Sign up for the Senate eNewsletter.

For more information:
media@sen.parl.gc.ca