Digital Accessibility Rules for Federally Regulated Orgs

Summary#

This is a proposed change, published by Employment and Social Development Canada on December 21, 2024, to add rules about digital accessibility to the Accessible Canada Regulations under the Accessible Canada Act. If adopted, federally regulated organizations would have to make websites, mobile apps and downloadable documents more accessible to people with disabilities, and take steps like training staff and publishing accessibility statements.

What it does#

• Adds a new “Information and Communication Technologies” part to the Accessible Canada Regulations that uses the national technical standard CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 (the EN Standard) as the baseline for accessibility.
• Requires covered organizations to make sure, where feasible, that:
  • new or updated web pages (public-facing and employee-facing) meet the EN Standard clauses cited in the proposal;
  • public-facing mobile applications launched after June 1, 2028 meet the EN Standard, and older apps be assessed for gaps by that date;
  • downloadable non‑web documents (like PDFs) posted after June 1, 2028 meet the EN Standard.
• Requires organizations to:
  • provide accessibility training for staff who develop, buy or maintain digital technology (training due by June 1, 2027, with refreshers at least every three years);
  • publish accessible, plain-language accessibility statements for the digital products they control (with first web statements due by June 1, 2027 for public sector, and by June 1, 2028 for large businesses);
  • obtain accessibility conformance assessments when buying web/mobile/document products or services (starting June 1, 2028 for covered buyers);
  • keep electronic records of training, conformance assessments and accessibility statements for four years.
• Incorporates the CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 standard “on an ambulatory basis” so organizations must update to new versions over time; the rules also allow certain alternative measures when full conformity isn’t feasible.
• Exempts small federally regulated private businesses (those with an average of 99 employees or fewer) from these requirements.
• Gives First Nations band councils a time-limited exemption from the new digital rules and related planning/reporting duties until December 31, 2033 to allow further engagement and a tailored approach.
• Enforcement would be handled by the Accessibility Commissioner at the Canadian Human Rights Commission; non‑conformance is classified as a “minor” violation with administrative monetary penalty ranges noted in the current regulations (for example $1,000 to $10,000 for a first minor violation; higher ranges apply for repeat offences).

Who's affected#

• Federal government organizations (the proposal cites roughly 183 federal public sector organizations).
• Federally regulated private-sector employers with larger workforces:
  • “Large businesses” (the proposal uses a cutoff of an average of 500 or more employees in some places);
  • “Medium-sized businesses” (defined in the proposal as 100 to 499 employees).
• The document estimates about 199 large businesses and 719 medium-sized businesses would be covered at the start, and about 1,102 federally regulated organizations in total are expected to be affected. (The source text contains slightly different counts in different sections; these are the approximate figures reported.)
• People who use services or work for those organizations — the proposal notes it would mainly benefit people with disabilities (the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability found about 8 million Canadians with disabilities, or 27%, and the department projects higher numbers in future years) and also people without disabilities who use those services.
• Small federally regulated businesses with 99 employees or fewer are exempt.
• First Nations band councils are explicitly exempt from these digital requirements and related planning/reporting until December 31, 2033.

Why it matters#

• The change targets common, day-to-day digital barriers. The proposal notes about 45% of Canadians with disabilities reported encountering digital barriers with federal organizations. Better web pages, apps and documents can make it easier to:
  • apply for jobs, access services and do banking or government business online;
  • do work tasks for employees with disabilities, improving job retention and productivity;
  • reduce time spent on phone calls or in-person visits.
• The government’s analysis projects costs and benefits over ten years: estimated present value costs of $309.95 million, estimated present value benefits of $1,209.78 million, and a net present value gain of $899.83 million (all figures from the proposal).
• If finalized, the first web-related obligations would start on June 1, 2027, and most other digital requirements would come into force on June 1, 2028. This is a proposal at this stage — it is not law until finalized, and the Canada Gazette notice invited comments (the source notes a 60‑day comment period).
• Practical trade-offs: organizations will need to spend time and money to meet the rules (or to document why they can’t and to provide temporary alternatives). The proposal aims to balance that with expected public benefits for accessibility and inclusion.