I may be able to offer clarification.
A standing committee of Parliament needs two things to travel: it needs a budget approved by the Liaison Committee, and it needs an order of the House of Commons. We received the budget approved by the Liaison Committee, but we never received a House order. I don't know the discussions, but we were told that the House leaders—and presumably the whips were onside as well—had decided that if half the committee travelled, which would have brought our budget under $100,000, we would have received our House order.