Canada’s first federal accessibility legislation receives Royal Assent

News release

June 21, 2019              Ottawa, Ontario              Employment and Social Development Canada

Every Canadian deserves the opportunity to participate fully in their community and workplace, and to have an equal chance at success. The Government of Canada developed the Accessible Canada Act to remove the barriers to inclusion persons with disabilities continue to face in society every day.

Today, the Honourable Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility, attended the Royal Assent Ceremony at the Senate of Canada for Bill C-81, the Government of Canada’s landmark accessibility legislation.

Passed in both the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada with unanimous support from all parliamentarians, the new Accessible Canada Act will transform how the Government of Canada addresses accessibility across the country. It will apply to Parliament, Crown corporations, the federal government and private sector businesses under federal jurisdiction, such as banking, telecommunications and transportation. By proactively identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility and by putting in place new mechanisms to address the systems that uphold these barriers, this legislation will help create a barrier-free Canada.

Under this legislation, the Government of Canada will develop accessibility standards and regulations in priority areas such as employment, the built environment, and the design and delivery of programs and services. Organizations under federal jurisdiction will be required to follow accessibility regulations and to develop accessibility plans describing how they will identify, remove and prevent barriers across their operations. They will also be required to establish processes for receiving and dealing with feedback about the implementation of their accessibility plan and about any barriers that a person may have encountered in dealing with the organization.

Organizations will also have to publish regular progress reports describing the implementation of their plans, feedback received, and how that feedback has been taken into consideration.

The Accessible Canada Act establishes new structures and positions, including:

• the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization (CASDO), which will be led by a board of directors comprised of a majority of persons with disabilities and will develop accessibility standards in collaboration with industry and the disability community;
• a Chief Accessibility Officer (CAO), who will provide advice to the Minister of Accessibility and monitor systemic and emerging accessibility issues; and
• the Accessibility Commissioner, who will spearhead compliance and enforcement activities under the legislation.

The Accessible Canada Act will come into force on a date set by the Governor in Council.