Accessibility Action Plan at the Department of Finance Canada 2026–2029

Message from the Deputy Minister and Associate Deputy Minister

At the Department of Finance Canada, we are deeply committed to advancing accessibility and inclusion in everything we do. Building on the foundation of our first Accessibility Action Plan, this updated plan reflects our ongoing efforts to identify, remove and prevent barriers so that every employee can fully contribute to and thrive within our organization.

Since the release of our initial plan, which covered the period from 2023 to 2025, we have made meaningful progress in several areas. We have built a governance model with appointed leaders responsible for each accessibility pillar, ensuring accountability within the department.

We are especially proud of the launch of the Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise (FACE), a major milestone in advancing accessibility at Finance. Built on evidence-based best practices, FACE helps employees and managers understand their responsibilities and implement effective accommodation. Through this initiative, we have expanded accessibility training and professional development opportunities and strengthened our capacity to create accessible documents and resources. FACE reminds us that real progress happens when we listen, adapt and work together to ensure every person can fully participate and thrive.

We have also raised awareness through events and milestones, such as National AccessAbility Week and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, and strengthened collaboration through the joint Treasury Board Secretariat–Finance Accessibility Network.

This updated plan sets out our next steps to advance the Government of Canada's vision of becoming the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world. It outlines how we will continue to embed accessibility into all aspects of our work, from our physical and digital environments to how we design policies, programs and services.

We are proud of the progress our department has made, and we recognize there is still work to do. Together, with leadership at every level and the continued engagement of employees, we will continue to foster excellence and exceptional performance by creating a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported and empowered to reach their full potential.

Chris Forbes
Deputy Minister

Alison O'Leary
Associate Deputy Minister

The department at a glance

On March 31, 2025, the Department of Finance Canada had 921 active employees. The department:

• is responsible for overall stewardship of the Canadian economy
• helps the Government of Canada develop and implement strong and sustainable economic, fiscal, tax, social, security, international and financial sector policies and programs that reflect Canadian values
• ensures that the federal government is supported by high-quality advice

In fulfilling its requirements under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), the department can implement meaningful change and deliver on its strategic outcomes.

General

Contact us

This section outlines how to give feedback on the plan, request alternate formats of the plan and/or contact the Director of Culture and HR Programs.

Feedback contact

The Director of Culture and HR Programs is designated to receive accessibility feedback and, as required, will coordinate with internal subject-matter experts responsible for each of the seven priority areas to meet new obligations under the ACA.

Feedback may be provided to the Department of Finance Director of Culture and HR Programs at the email address, telephone number or mailing address listed below:

Octavia James, Director, Culture and HR Programs
Email address: accessibility.accessibilite@fin.gc.ca
Phone number: 1-833-712-2292, TTY: 613-369-3230
Mailing address: 90 Elgin Street, Suite 10-075, Ottawa, Ontario, K1P 0C6

All accessibility feedback received will be acknowledged in the same way it was received, except when feedback is submitted anonymously.

This plan is a living document and will be updated regularly as new developments take place and feedback is taken into consideration.

Alternate formats

The Department of Finance Canada will provide, upon request, any information relating to its Accessibility Plan and/or feedback process in alternate formats, including print, large print, Braille, audio (French and English) or an electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology that assists persons with disabilities.

Requests for alternate formats may be sent to the Department of Finance Director of Culture and HR Programs at the email address, telephone number or mailing address listed below:

Octavia James, Director, Culture and HR Programs
Email address: accessibility.accessibilite@fin.gc.ca
Phone number: 1-833-712-2292, TTY: 613-369-3230
Mailing address: 90 Elgin Street, Suite 10-075, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E1

Departmental feedback process

A feedback process is in place at the Department of Finance Canada. Individuals can submit feedback relating to accessibility and the Accessibility Action Plan by contacting the Director of Culture and HR Programs by email, phone or regular mail. Feedback can be provided either with an identified contact or anonymously. Acknowledgement of receipt and responses will be provided only if contact information is given.

Acknowledgement of receipt of feedback will be provided within two weeks of its successful delivery to the designated organizational contact and will be provided by the same channel where the feedback was received. Please note that anonymous feedback submissions will be given the same treatment as those submitted by an identified person.

All feedback will be taken into consideration when we publish annual progress reports on the implementation and renewal of this plan.

Executive summary

The Action Plan reaffirms the department's commitment to identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility. Guided by the ACA, the plan builds on earlier progress and outlines the next steps toward a more inclusive and barrier-free workplace.

Initial feedback received through a feedback form has highlighted areas such as awareness, physical and digital accessibility, and workplace accommodation. Broader consultations with employees were held to further identify and address barriers.

Key priorities include strengthening accommodation support through the Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise (FACE) and the Digital GC Workplace Accessibility Passport, embedding accessibility in procurement and service design, and promoting a culture of inclusion through awareness and training initiatives.

Grounded in the principle of Nothing Without Us, this plan establishes a strong foundation for ongoing progress toward a barrier-free and inclusive public service.

Accessibility statement

The Department of Finance Canada is guided by the ACA and the Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada. We work to identify, remove and prevent barriers in every aspect of our operations.

Accessibility is an ongoing commitment and a shared responsibility. The department is dedicated to achieving the Government of Canada's vision of being the most accessible and inclusive public service in the world.

Existing initiatives

In addition to addressing barriers to accessibility in the seven key areas identified under the ACA, the department is continuing to implement two overarching enabling initiatives that provide the foundational framework for improving accessibility:

1. The Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise (FACE)
2. The Government of Canada (GC) Workplace Accessibility Passport

The Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise

The department has onboarded an Accessibility Navigator to help create, launch and maintain the Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise (FACE). FACE was launched on April 1, 2025, in collaboration with internal stakeholders, including Human Resources, Information Technology (IT), Security, Facilities and more.

FACE uses a centralized and neutral case management model to support requests for accommodation. It provides services to all employees who request accommodation, not exclusively employees who have self-identified as a person with a disability. The approach is expected to:

• streamline workplace accommodation practices
• improve employees' experiences
• facilitate the accommodation process for managers
• give expert guidance on accessibility that is readily available
• support a "yes-by-default" culture

FACE also provides guidance to managers to ensure they are aware of their responsibilities under the duty to accommodate and are informed of best practices.

Following its launch, FACE has received strong and sustained support, in part due to ongoing communications, outreach and presentations across departmental branches and networks. This response also reflects a recognized government-wide knowledge gap among both managers and employees regarding accessibility and accommodation processes.

The GC Workplace Accessibility Passport

The GC Workplace Accessibility Passport helps address obstacles that federal public service employees and applicants with disabilities face in obtaining the tools and supports needed to perform at their best and succeed in the workplace. This tool was designed to travel with employees who require accommodation throughout their federal public service career, reducing the need to renegotiate workplace supports when employees change jobs.

Created by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS), the passport is now available digitally, making it easier for employees to use the passport to request and track accommodation in the workplace.

The department was an early adopter of the passport and has committed to onboarding the digital version of the passport for all Finance employees. The Digital GC Workplace Accessibility Passport will be launched in winter 2026 for Finance Canada.

Additional actions – LiveWorkPlay

Through a partnership with LiveWorkPlay, the Department has hired seven individuals with intellectual disabilities and/or autism for meaningful roles involving the digitization of records. The team was hired in January 2025 to see through the project lifecycle.

Key success factors

• Tailored recruitment: Accommodated interviews focused on candidates' skills, strengths and interests, enabling effective role matching.
• Strong onboarding: Clear, step-by-step standard operating procedures and training supported inclusive onboarding, earning praise from LiveWorkPlay specialists.
• Collaboration: Support from the IT, Pay Liaison, and Equity, Diversity and Inclusion teams helped ensure effective accommodation and awareness.

The digitization team is projected to process up to 130,000 records by March 2026, contributing to modernization while demonstrating how inclusive hiring strengthens both employee development and departmental outcomes.

Detailed action plan – accessibility pillars

Employment

Objective

Ensure the Department of Finance Canada is an accessible and inclusive employer of choice, empowering job seekers and employees with disabilities to reach their full potential through equitable access to employment and career advancement.

Barriers

1. Managers' lack of knowledge of responsibilities under the duty to accommodate, including during the staffing process.
2. Unconscious bias affecting decisions, such as hesitancy to hire persons with disabilities due to uncertainty about accommodation or potential costs.
3. Lack of universal tools for HR to help managers develop accessible evaluation methods for staffing processes.
4. Limited employee knowledge of their rights and responsibilities regarding the duty to accommodate.
5. Underrepresentation of employees with disabilities at all levels of employment.

Commitments

Built environment

Objective

Ensure departmental facilities are accessible and inclusive, enabling clients and employees, including persons with disabilities, to barrier-free access.

Barriers

1. Inadequate drop-off areas outside 90 Elgin and insufficient accessible parking nearby
2. Lack of automatic door openers for Finance employee service provider areas, including Information and Technology service desk
3. Need for revised emergency measures for persons with disabilities
4. Increased audio and visual distraction in office
5. Need for clear identification of accessible turnstiles and improved visual aids for turnstile access

Commitments

Information and communication technologies

Objective

Ensure that information and communication technologies (ICT) provides all users, including those with disabilities, with leading-edge tools that enhance capacity and improve efficiency.

Barriers

1. Inconsistent awareness and training among IT professionals on accessible ICT tools and best practices creates barriers to implementing accessible technology.
2. Delays in the identification, assessment and deployment of accessible or adaptive technologies.
3. Accessibility is not embedded by default and is often treated as an add-on rather than a built-in consideration in digital projects and systems.
4. Employees are unaware of the accessibility technology tools and features available to them through embedded features (e.g., MS Teams live captions, speech-to-text).
5. IT professionals may not be aware that a service request is related to an accommodation need.

Commitments

Communication, other than ICT

Objective

Make communication materials accessible and inclusive for the public and employees.

Barriers

1. Departmental events, meetings as well as stakeholder meetings are inaccessible to persons with disabilities due to inconsistent application of accessibility best practices (i.e., overview of accessibility features, ensuring Teams features are enabled, active offers of accommodation).
2. Information is not shared in accessible formats – there is a lack of enterprise-wide knowledge on how to make documents and meetings accessible (i.e., formatting, font, size, highlighting).
3. Lack of clear communication practices and procedures – employees are not aware of and/or are not using accessible communication best practices and procedures in communication materials or meetings.

Commitments

The procurement of goods and services

Objective

Integrate accessibility when procuring services and goods, while ensuring deliverables meet the necessary accessibility standards.

Barriers

1. Challenges in incorporating accessibility in supply chains and government procurement policies led by common service organizations.
2. Procurement officers and clients lack training and expertise in accessibility standards, leading to gaps in defining, evaluating and enforcing accessibility standards.
3. When goods and services are procured, it can be challenging to ensure suppliers incorporate and maintain accessibility considerations or market availability in future versions or updates of their products and services throughout the procurement lifecycle.

Commitments

Culture change toward disability inclusion

Objective

Integrate accessibility into the department's everyday practices.

Barriers

1. Underrepresentation of persons with disabilities throughout the department.
2. Need for increased awareness and training on disability inclusion and DTA.
3. Lack of consideration for accessibility at onset and throughout initiatives, programs, practices, etc.
4. Fear or uncertainty among managers about disability and accommodation.
5. Inconsistent integration of accessibility into decision-making and governance.
6. Limited employee engagement and lived experience input.
7. Employees may not request accommodation due to stigma and attitudinal barriers.
8. Inadequate recognition or accountability for accessibility.

Commitments

The design and delivery of programs and services

Objective

Create new tools and structures to remove and prevent accessibility barriers in the delivery of internal and external services.

Barriers

1. Lack of awareness of accessibility and disability inclusion in service delivery, policy development and stakeholder engagement.
2. Lack of inclusion of persons with disabilities in the planning and delivery of programs and services.
3. Inconsistent application of accessibility standards in service design and delivery.
4. Lack of performance measurement and accountability for accessible service delivery.

Commitments

Transportation

Objective

Ensure that all accessibility requirements for employees and managers are met during business travel.

Barriers

1. Employees travelling for business are not guaranteed accessible hotels and other accessible venues due to differences in international standards and age of buildings in certain locations around the world.
2. Limited awareness and understanding of DTA responsibilities related to travel.
3. Limited accessibility requirements in departmental travel policies.
4. Lack of understanding and process for requesting travel-related accommodation.
5. Inadequate support for planning or coordination for accessible travel needs.

Commitments

Consultations

The development of this Accessibility Action Plan was guided by a co-development model and the principle of Nothing Without Us, ensuring that persons with disabilities played a central role in identifying barriers and shaping commitments. Building on the first Accessibility Action Plan, the Department of Finance continued to work closely with employees, committees and networks to embed accessibility across all operations.

Finance Accessibility Network

Established in 2022, the Finance Accessibility Network (FAN) provided ongoing, experience-based feedback throughout the drafting process. Members contributed through written consultations and virtual sessions before and after drafting to confirm that lived experiences were accurately reflected and to validate identified barriers and commitments.

Accessibility Action Plan Committee

The Accessibility Action Plan Committee, supported by a steering committee of senior leaders and a working group of managers and employees, provided strategic oversight and ensured alignment with the ACA. Committee members participated in written consultations and hybrid meetings to review progress, offer feedback and ensure consistency across the accessibility pillars.

Department-wide employee consultations

All employees were invited to share insights on barriers and opportunities for improvement through a pre-draft written consultation promoted in departmental communications. This approach ensured that perspectives beyond formal accessibility networks were captured. The Accessibility Action Plan Feedback Form remains available for ongoing input.

Summary of engagement activities

At a glance

Below is a summary of the feedback and key themes discussed during all consultation sessions. This information is presented as a single entry to help protect the privacy of employees who participated in the consultations.

1. Employment:
   • Address fear of bias and lack of awareness in requesting accommodation.
2. Built environment
   • Improve service-animal safety at entrances.
   • Fix evac chair placement/training issues.
   • Improve elevator identification, turnstiles and sliding door accessibility.
3. ICT
   • Increase IT awareness of accommodation-related requests.
   • Establish accessibility contacts in each branch.
   • Ensure training and consultations include end users and relevant stakeholders.
4. Communications
   • Add brief accessibility learning moments with practical examples.
5. Procurement
   • Clarify processes and reduce delays for accommodation-related procurement.
6. Culture
   • Encourage proactive planning for accommodation needs.
   • Reduce stigma in identifying needs.
   • Strengthen accessibility in performance management agreements (PMAs), awards and talent management.

Feedback

Following the publication of the 2024 Finance Accessibility Progress Report, the department received 5 submissions via the feedback form.

Below is a general summary of the feedback and key themes received using the feedback form. This information is presented as a single entry to help protect the privacy of employees who participated in the consultations.

Key themes:

• Perceived costs of accommodation creating attitudinal barriers
• Official language requirements cause additional barriers for persons with disabilities
• Prescribed return to office may cause barriers for persons with disabilities
• Limited accessible IT solutions beyond embedded features
• Positive feedback on the services provided by the Finance Accessibility Centre of Expertise (FACE). This feedback was taken into consideration during the development of the Accessibility Action Plan.

Glossary

accessibility

The degree to which a product, service, program or environment is available to be accessed or used by all.

accommodation

Any change in the working environment that allows a person with functional limitations in their abilities to do their job. Changes can include:

• adjustments to the physical workspace
• adaptations to equipment or tools
• flexible work hours or job-sharing
• relocation of the workspace
• the ability to work from home
• reallocation or exchange of some non-essential tasks for others
• time off for medical appointments

Accommodation (adjustment) can be temporary, periodic or longer-term, depending on the employee's situation or changes in the workplace.

barrier

Anything that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation. Barriers can be physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal. (Source: Bill C-81: An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada)

disability

Any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person's full and equal participation in society. (Source: Bill C-81: An Act to Ensure a Barrier-Free Canada)

disability type

A form of limitation, be it physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory or other. In its 2017 Canadian Survey on Disability, Statistics Canada used screening questions to identify the following 10 types of disability:

1. seeing
2. hearing
3. mobility
4. flexibility
5. dexterity
6. pain-related
7. learning
8. developmental
9. mental health–related
10. memory

The screening questionnaire also contained a question concerning any other health problem or condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more. This question was meant to be a catch-all type in case the 10 disability types did not cover the respondent's situation. This question is associated with an 11^th "unknown" disability type.

employee

A person employed by the Department of Finance Canada.

persons with disabilities

Persons who have a longer-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who:

1. consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or
2. believe that an employer or potential employer is likely to consider them to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment

Persons with disabilities include persons whose functional limitations owing to their impairment have been accommodated in their current job or workplace. (Source: Employment Equity Act)

self-identification

Employees providing employment equity information for statistical purposes with the aim of analyzing and monitoring the progress of employment equity groups in the federal public service and reporting on workforce representation. (Source: Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2017 to 2018)

workforce availability

For the core public administration, refers to the estimated availability of people in designated groups as a percentage of the workforce population. For the core public administration, workforce availability is based on the population of Canadian citizens who are active in the workforce and work in those occupations that correspond to the occupations in the core public administration. Availability is estimated from 2021 Census data. Estimates for persons with disabilities are derived from data, also collected by Statistics Canada, in the 2022 Canadian Survey on Disability. (Source: Employment Equity Demographic Snapshot 2023–2024)