The Accessible Canada Act

The Accessible Canada Act (“the Act”) received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019. The Act is intended to reduce barriers in federally run agencies for individuals living with disabilities by establishing requirements for an accessible environment. The Act is similar in nature to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

A significant percentage of Canadians are living with disabilities, according to statistical data collected by Statistics Canada in 2017. In the national context, this figure was approximately 1 in 5 or 6.2 million Canadians over 15 years of age were living with one or more disability.

The Act applies to all federal agencies and programs, as well as, businesses that are federally regulated such as, banks, transportation and telecommunications, for example.

The Act requires federal employers and federally-regulated employers to develop and implement accessibility plans and progress reports, including a feedback process, regulations and a complaint process, among others requirements.