Digital Accessibility Rules for Federally Regulated Organizations

Summary#

These are proposed amendments to the Accessible Canada Regulations that would add new rules about digital accessibility. The changes would require many federally regulated organizations to make web pages, mobile apps and downloadable documents easier to use by people with disabilities. The proposal was published on December 21, 2024 and includes a public comment period of 60 days from that date.

What it does#

• Creates a new Part called “Information and Communication Technologies” and requires organizations to follow the digital-accessibility standard CAN/ASC‑EN Standard (the national version of the European EN 301 549), updated automatically as the standard changes.
• Sets the digital areas covered:
  • web pages and web applications;
  • mobile applications;
  • non‑web digital documents (for example, PDFs and Word files).
• Sets different rules by size and sector:
  • federal public sector organizations must meet requirements earlier than many private sector organizations.
  • Large businesses (average of 500 or more employees) and medium-sized businesses (average 100–499 employees) face different obligations.
  • Small businesses (average 99 employees or less) would be exempt.
• Timelines and key deadlines:
  • Public-sector web pages: conform by June 1, 2027.
  • Private-sector web pages, and other requirements (mobile apps, documents): come into force by June 1, 2028.
  • Training for staff who develop, maintain or buy digital tech: required by June 1, 2027, with refresher training at least every three years.
  • Accessibility statements must be published and updated at least once every 12 months; first statements for web pages must be up by June 1, 2027 (public sector) and other statements by June 1, 2028 (large businesses).
  • When buying related products or services, many organizations must get an accessibility conformance assessment starting June 1, 2028.
  • Records (training, conformance assessments, accessibility statements) must be kept for four years.
• Limited or specific applications:
  • Transportation Service Providers (TSPs) and Broadcasting and Telecommunications Organizations (BTOs) face more limited requirements because other regulators (CTA, CRTC) already cover some areas.
  • First Nations band councils and certain activities on reserves are exempt from these new digital requirements, and from planning/reporting rules, until December 31, 2033 to allow further engagement and tailored approaches.
• Enforcement and penalties:
  • The Office of the Accessibility Commissioner at the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) would enforce the rules.
  • Violations are classed as “minor.” Penalties range from $1,000 to $10,000 for a first minor violation, and can reach $50,000 to $75,000 for repeat violators in a five‑year period.

Who's affected#

• Main groups named in the proposal:
  • Federal public sector organizations (about 183 were estimated in the analysis).
  • Federally regulated private sector organizations with 100 or more employees:
    • Large businesses (about 199 estimated) — more requirements.
    • Medium-sized businesses (about 719 estimated) — fewer requirements than large businesses.
  • Small businesses (average 99 employees or less) — exempt from these proposed amendments.
  • First Nations band councils — given a time-limited exemption until December 31, 2033.
  • TSPs and BTOs — limited application because other regulators cover parts of their public-facing services.
• Wider effects:
  • The proposal estimates about 1.47 million employees work for affected federally regulated organizations and that tens of millions of Canadians (including more than 10 million people with disabilities) would benefit from better digital access.

Why it matters#

• The changes aim to remove everyday barriers that stop people with disabilities from using online government and federally regulated services. Those barriers make it harder to find information, apply for jobs, complete transactions and work.
• The government’s analysis projects the benefits outweigh costs over a 10‑year period:
  • total present-value benefits of $1,209.78 million,
  • total present-value costs of $309.95 million,
  • net present-value benefit of $899.83 million.
• Practical effects for the public:
  • More accessible websites, apps and documents mean less time spent on phone calls or in-person visits to get services.
  • Better workplace tools can make it easier for employees with disabilities to do their jobs and stay employed.
  • Organizations will need new buying practices, training and public accessibility statements, which should increase transparency about what is and isn’t accessible.
• It is a proposal, not final law. People and organizations can comment during the 60‑day consultation that started with the publication on December 21, 2024.