Question Period Note: Accessible Canada Act Overview and Implementation

What is the status of the Accessible Canada Act?

• The Accessible Canada Act came into force in July 2019. The Act will benefit everyone in Canada, especially persons with disabilities, through the proactive identification, removal and prevention of barriers to accessibility in federal jurisdiction.

• Informed by Canadians with disabilities, the Act fundamentally changes the way the Government of Canada addresses disability and accessibility.

• The Government of Canada is committed to the timely implementation of the Act and the goal of achieving a barrier-free Canada by 2040.

If pressed on the implementation of the Act
• The Government moved quickly to establish the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization, appointing its board of directors and Chief Executive Officer in August 2019.
• The Government is also developing the first set of technical regulations under the Act. These regulations will be in place by summer 2021.

National Consultation on Accessibility

Approximately 6,000 Canadians participated in the Accessible Canada consultation from June 2016 to February 2017. As well, over $2.3 million was provided to disability and Indigenous organizations to engage their members and communities.

Building on information gathered through the consultation, Bill C-81, the Accessible Canada Act, was introduced in Parliament on June 20, 2018. The Act received Royal Assent on June 21, 2019, and came into force on July 11, 2019.

The Accessible Canada Act

The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040, by identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility in federal jurisdiction.

The Act creates a framework to develop, report on, enforce and monitor the implementation of new accessibility requirements in the following priority areas:
• employment;
• the built environment;
• information and communication technologies;
• communication;
• the procurement of goods, services and facilities;
• the design and delivery of programs and services; and,
• transportation.

Key new structures created by the Act include:

• The Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization, which will:
o develop and revise accessibility standards;
o provide technical assistance to organizations, and,
o support research in the priority areas.
CASDO’s Chief Executive Officer, Philip Rizcallah, and board of directors were appointed effective August 26, 2019.

• The Government will be appointing an Accessibility Commissioner in the Canadian Human Rights Commission, who will lead the compliance and enforcement of requirements under the Act.

• The Government will also be appointing a Chief Accessibility Officer, who will advise the Minister responsible for accessibility and report on outcomes achieved by the Act and in relation to systemic or emerging accessibility issues.

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