Accessibility progress report 2023 for Department of Finance Canada

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Department of Finance at a glance

General

Employment

The built environment

Information and communication technologies (ICT)

Communications other than ICT

Procurement of services, goods, and services related to goods

Culture change towards disability inclusion

Transportation

Consultations

Feedback

Key commitments moving forward (2024-25)

Glossary

Introduction

The Government of Canada's Accessibility Strategy for the Public Service of Canada provides a vision and framework for how the public service can identify, prevent and remove physical, systemic and cultural obstacles to the participation of persons with disabilities. Its aim is to create the most accessible public service in the world – an environment where persons with disabilities can flourish. When persons with disabilities in the public service can focus on their work and their service to Canadians, instead of combatting the systems and structures that keep them marginalized, all Canadians can benefit.

The strategy was developed following the passage of the Accessible Canada Act (the Act), which received Royal Assent in July 2019, and sets expectations for the achievement of a barrier-free Canada by 2040. It seeks to:

The Act requires all regulated entities, including federal organizations such as the Department of Finance Canada, to:

The Department of Finance at a glance

The Department of Finance Canada has 936 active employees as of December 1, 2023. The Department is responsible for the 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, and ensures that the federal government is supported by high quality advice. A deep-seated connection exists between the Department and work on accessibility. In fulfilling its requirements under the Accessible Canada Act, the Department has the opportunity to implement meaningful change and deliver on its strategic outcomes.

General

Departmental feedback process

A feedback process is in place at the Department of Finance Canada. Individuals can submit feedback relating to accessibility and its Accessibility Action Plan through various channels, including email, phone and mail. Feedback can either be provided with an identified contact or anonymously. Acknowledgement receipt and responses will only be provided if contact information is provided. 

Receipt of acknowledgement 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 in which the feedback was received. Please note that anonymous feedback submissions will be treated equally to those submitted by an identified person. 

All feedback will be taken into consideration during the publication of annual progress reports on the implementation of this Plan and in the renewal of the Plan. 

Feedback contact 

Director, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessiblity
Email address: octavia.james@fin.gc.ca  
Phone number: 1-833-712-2292, TTY: 613-369-3230 
Mailing address: 90 Elgin Street, room 10-108, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0E1 

Other formats 

Contact us to request alternate formats of this Plan such as large print, braille, or audio at accessibility.accessibilite@fin.gc.ca.

Executive summary

The Department of Finance Canada developed its first Accessibility Action Plan as an important first step towards realizing the Accessible Canada Act's commitment to creating a barrier-free Canada by 2040. 

The Department is committed to proactively eliminating and preventing barriers faced by persons with disabilities and ensuring greater opportunities for all. This Plan provides a strong foundation for the work that lies ahead to make the organization inclusive by design and accessible by default.  This is the Department's first Annual Progress Report on its Accessibility Action Plan.

The Department's Plan identifies barriers to accessibility in seven key areas identified under the Accessible Canada Act

*The Act's recommended transportation pillar was previously not included in the Department's 2022 Accessibility Action Plan, however it is now included in the 2023 Accessibility Progress report.

Accessibility statement

The commitments and activities related to the "design and delivery of programs and services" key area are reflected under other key areas identified for the Department.

This Progress Report will provide an update on the actions taken during this past year that were proposed in the Department's Accessibility Action Plan – what has been completed and what its commitments are in the years ahead to implement and deliver the plan with clear timelines to be accountable for each of the seven key identified areas.  

In addition, the Department is continuing its work to implement two overarching enabling activities that will provide the foundational framework required to improve accessibility: 

GC Workplace Accessibility Passport

The Department was an early adopter of the passport and continues to promote its use to managers and employees. The 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 the employees throughout their federal public service career, reducing the need to renegotiate workplace supports when employees change jobs.

Update 2023

TBS continues with the development of the digital version of the Accessibility Passport with a targeted launch date of early 2024. Once the digital version is finalized, the Department will fully implement it to provide data on usage for reporting tracking purposes only. The Department will also continue to provide further training to all managers and employees on the use of the passport – not just those who identify as persons with disabilities, to promote its full use and to help remove the stigma against those with disabilities.

The Workplace Accommodation Centre

This Workplace Accommodation Centre is a collaborative pilot program between the Department and the Treasury Board Secretariat. The Centre is implementing a centralized and neutral case management model for requests for accommodations that will provide services to all employees who request an accommodation, and not exclusively employees who have self-identified as a person with a disability. The approach is expected to:

Update 2023

TBS continues with the development of the Workplace Accommodation Centre for its employees however, due to resource constraints, adopting the Department of Finance into a Shared Workplace Accommodation Centre was not feasible for the 2023-24 fiscal year. Discussions are still proceeding before moving ahead with a Shared Accommodation Centre for both Departments. If the decision is to move forward, the targeted onboarding date for the Department will be during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Employment

Objective

Job seekers and current employees with disabilities see the Department of Finance Canada as an employer of choice and can contribute at their full potential through access to employment opportunities and career advancement in a hybrid workplace.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Short-term commitments (2023-2025)

Longer-term commitments (2024-2025)

Update 2023

Implemented

In Progress

The built environment

Objective

Clients and employees of the Department, including those with disabilities, can make best use of its facilities through barrier-free access.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Short-term commitments (2023)

Longer-term commitments (2023-2025)

Update 2023

Implemented

In Progress

Information and communication technologies (ICT)

Objective

Information and communications technology provides all users, including those with disabilities, with leading edge tools that enhance capacity and improve efficiency.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Short-term commitments (2023)

Longer-term commitments (2023-2025)

Update 2023

Implemented

In progress

Communications other than ICT

Objective

Make all communications accessible and inclusive for the public and employees.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Short-term commitments (2023)

Longer-term commitments (2024-2025)

Update 2023

Implemented

In Progress

Procurement of services, goods, and services related to goods

Objective

Ensure the procurement and material management team and project authorities consider accessibility requirements in their specifications for procuring services, goods, and services related to goods, so that the deliverables provide the necessary accessibility features.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Short-term commitments (2023)

Longer-term commitments (2024-2025)

Update 2023

In progress

Culture change towards disability inclusion

Objective

Accessibility is integrated into the everyday business of the Department of Finance Canada.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Update 2023

Implemented

In progress

Transportation

Objective

The Transportation pillar was not included in the Department of Finance Canada Accessibility Plan 2022-2025, however the Department recognizes its importance to all employees while traveling for work. The Department of Finance Canada is committed to ensuring all accessibility requirements for employees and managers are met while traveling for business.

Key barriers – areas for improvement

Update 2023

Although the Department is unable to control how private sector transportation and hotel companies are set up for all accessibility needs, the Department will ensure questions are asked during booking hotels for traveling employees and managers that the venues and local transportation are accessible and meets accommodation requirements. 

Consultations

A co-development model inspired the approach for drafting the Plan. The Finance Accessibility Network, formed in 2022, facilitated experience-based conversations, and was provided the opportunity to comment throughout the development.

Additionally, the Department's Accessibility Action Plan was informed by a broad range of feedback and input. These include:

The Department will continue to consult with the Finance Accessibility Network and will ensure that persons with disabilities contribute to all decision-making related to the commitments made in this Plan. Progress reports and future action plans will be guided by the principle of 'Nothing Without Us', recognizing that persons with disabilities will guide efforts to build an inclusive federal public service that is more innovative, efficient and productive.

Feedback

The consultations leading up to the publication of the Accessibility Action Plan focused on listening to accounts of personal experience. In listening to these messages, some common themes emerged over time:

Key commitments moving forward (2024-25)

Update 2023

There is no current Accessibility Network at the Department. This has meant low employee participation in plan implementation. To reach a state where we can be true to the 'nothing about us, without us' means finding root causes and then solutions for the state of participation. Some initial steps involve partnering with other departments that have matured in this area, providing neutral employee support for disability management and making the best use possible of thought-leaders in the area of disability.

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, or time off for medical appointments. Accommodations (adjustments) can be temporary, periodic or long-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: seeing, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain-related, learning, developmental, mental health-related, and 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 in case the 10 disability types did not cover the respondent's situation. This question is associated with an 11th "unknown" disability type.

Employee
A person employed by the Department of Finance Canada.

Persons with disabilities
Persons who have a long-term or recurring physical, mental, sensory, psychiatric or learning impairment and who a) consider themselves to be disadvantaged in employment by reason of that impairment, or b) 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 in analyzing and monitoring the progress of employment equity groups in the federal public service and for 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 2011 Census data. Estimates for persons with disabilities are derived from data, also collected by Statistics Canada, in the 2012 Canadian Survey on Disability. (Source: Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada for Fiscal Year 2017 to 2018)

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