Accessible Canada Act: Canadian Federal Accessibility Legislation

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Canada's first federal accessibility legislation receives Royal Assent...

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.

Quick Facts

• Approximately one in five Canadians, or about 6.2 million people aged 15 and over, report having a disability that limits them in their daily activities.
• Persons with disabilities face lower employment rates as approximately 59% of working-age adults with disabilities report being employed, versus 80% of those without disabilities.
• The Accessible Canada Act was developed following the most inclusive and accessible consultations with the disability community in our country's history. More than 100 accessibility organizations and 6,000 Canadians shared their views and ideas about an accessible Canada.
• Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, was tabled in Parliament on June 20, 2018, and was passed by the Senate, with amendments, on May 13, 2019. The House of Commons concurred with all amendments on May 29, 2019.

UPDATE: Federal Canadian Accessibility Legislation Comes Into Force, Source: Federal Canadian Accessibility Legislation Comes Into Force. Abstract: Accessible Canada Act establishes framework to create a barrier-free Canada through proactive identification, removal and prevention of accessibility barriers.

Attribution/Source(s):

This quality-reviewed article relating to our Canada Disability News section was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World due to its likely interest to our disability community readers. Though the content may have been edited for style, clarity, or length, the article "Accessible Canada Act: Canadian Federal Accessibility Legislation" was originally written by Employment and Social Development Canada, and published by Disabled-World.com on 2019/06/22 (Updated: 2020/12/03). Should you require further information or clarification, Employment and Social Development Canada can be contacted at canada.ca. Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith.

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