The Accessible Canada Act builds on the Canadian Human Rights Act, focusing on the prohibition of discrimination based on disability. Carla Qualtrough presented Bill C-81 for its final reading on June 21, 2019, where it received Royal Assent. This is a Canada-wide accessibility act that applies to the federal public sector, Crown Corporations, and all federally regulated organizations. The federally regulated organizations include the following industries:
railways, airplanes and inter-provincial buses
banks, mining companies, railways, airlines, and trucking
television and radio
Preparation
The Office of Public Service Accessibility was responsible for preparing Bill C-81 and creating its implementation strategy. OPSA's mandate will expire in March 2021.
Standards development
Accessibility standards required for the Accessible Canada Act are to be developed by Accessibility Standards Canada. Priority areas for have been defined as: Employment; Emergency measures; Built environment including parks and outdoor recreation facilities; Information and communication technologies; Indigenous accessibility; Accessible communications.
Legislated roles
The ACA created the position of an Accessibility Commissioner and Chief Accessibility Officer. The Accessibility Commissioner has the authority to fine organizations up to $250,000 per violation. The Accessibility Commissioner has broad powers to conduct investigations of complaints. If the complaint is substantiated, they have the power to order the appropriate corrective measures and pay compensation to the complainant.
Mandates and goals
As defined, the ACA will require the public sector to:
review anything which may be a barrier for the public or the public sector;
create an initial accessibility plan by ;
publish an updated accessibility plan, and notify the Accessibility Commissioner, on an annual basis outlining progress to-date. This plan must be made available to people on request.
consult persons with disabilities in the preparation of its accessibility plan and include the manner of consultation in the report.
In the Backgrounder on Accessible Government provided by Employment and Social Development Canada, several other items have been outlined which pertain to the public sector. Perhaps the most immediate will be the five-year commitment for the public sector to hire a thousand employees per year who identify as people with disabilities. The government will be investing $53 million over six years, in support of a new Strategy for an Accessible Government of Canada. An “Accessibility Hub” will also be established to provide leadership, coordination and oversight. The details of this strategy and “Accessibility Hub” will be developed and released to the public within one year of the passage of the legislation. Public Services and Procurement Canada will establish an accessible procurement resource centre. The government will adjust its policies to ensure that goods and services procured by the Government of Canada are accessible. The vision of the ACA is to be the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world. The guiding principles are:
Nothing without us: Persons with disabilities are involved in the design and implementation of the strategy.
Collaboration: Departments and agencies work in collaboration with each other as well as with bargaining agents, and other public, private, and not-for-profit organizations.
Sustainability: The strategy prioritizes actions that will have a long-term impact.
Transparency: The strategy is developed and implemented in a transparent manner and departments will report openly and transparently on their efforts to remove barriers.
The five most-pressing goals defined in ACA include:
Improving recruitment, retention, and promotion of persons with disabilities
Equipping public servants to design and deliver accessible programs and services
Building an accessibility confident public service
Many details are under development.
Enforcement
Representatives from the five organizations responsible for enforcing the ACA make up the Council of Federal Accessibility Agencies along with the Accessibility Commissioner. The five lead organizations are:
These organizations are committed to working together, viewing accessibility as a fundamental human right to be realized across Canada.
National AccessAbility Week
The Bill named National AccessAbility Week as the week starting on the last Sunday in May. This is part of an effort to change the public sector's culture, and celebrate Canadians with disabilities. Upcoming dates for this event:
On April 1, 2020, the Policy on Service and Digital will come into effect in the Government of Canada. This will make the Chief Information Officer of Canada responsible for prescribing enterprise-wide information and data standards for accessibility. The requirements and direction specified by the CIO will guide the deputy heads to ensure their development and delivery. Organizations which fall under the ACA will need to build accessibility plans, incorporate accessible feedback tools and create annual progress reports to mark progress on accessibility. Having measurable progress is a key part of the ACA. OPSA is responsible for developing the strategy and supporting its implementation across all government departments.
