On this page

• Overview
• Regulatory and enforcement authorities
• Basic principles

Overview

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (regulations) require federally regulated entities to develop a process for receiving and dealing with feedback on:

• the manner in which the entity is implementing its accessibility plan
• the barriers that the entity’s employees encounter
• the barriers other people who deal with the entity encounter

This guidance focuses on how entities should prepare and publish a description of that feedback process.

You can also read guidance on:

• preparing and publishing accessibility plans
• consulting persons with disabilities

In line with the ACA’s principles, this guidance reflects insights and input from the disability community.

This guidance is not legally binding, but it does describe requirements that are legally binding under the ACA and its regulations. It describes these requirements using the words "must" and "required."

This guidance also contains recommendations, tips, and best practices for helping to ensure that entities’ feedback process descriptions are clear, useful, and accessible. This non-binding advice uses the words "recommended," "should," “may,” "suggested," and "could."

Regulatory and enforcement authorities

All federally regulated entities must notify the Accessibility Commissioner when they publish accessibility plans, progress reports, or feedback process descriptions under the Accessible Canada Regulations.

Some federally regulated entities engage in operations that may fall under additional sets of regulations under the ACA. Some of these regulations may be made by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) or the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). This means that some entities may have to notify both the Accessibility Commissioner and either the CRTC or the CTA.

All planning and reporting regulations require regulated entities to publish accessibility plans, progress reports, and feedback process descriptions. The requirements for these documents may differ depending on the applicable regulation.

• For regulated entities who must notify both the Accessibility Commissioner and the CRTC:
  • regulated entities that carry on broadcasting undertakings: read sections 42 to 50 of the ACA
  • regulated entities that are Canadian carriers or telecommunications service providers: read sections 51 to 59 of the ACA
  • read the CRTC Accessibility Reporting Regulations
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations
• For regulated entities who must notify both the Accessibility Commissioner and the CTA:
  • regulated entities that are part of the federal transportation network: read sections 60 to 68 of the ACA
  • read the CTA Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations
• For all other regulated entities, who must notify only the Accessibility Commissioner:
  • read sections 69 to 72 of the ACA
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations

Note: regulated entities who must notify the CRTC have earlier deadlines for publishing their feedback process descriptions. They must publish those descriptions by the end of the day that the CRTC’s regulations fix for that entity.

• Read sections 2 and 3 of the CRTC Accessibility Reporting Regulations to determine the classes of broadcasting entity and their fixed days
• Read sections 18 and 19 of the CRTC Accessibility Reporting Regulations to determine the classes of telecommunications entities and their fixed days

Organizations notifying both the Accessibility Commissioner and either the CRTC or the CTA do not have to establish or describe two separate feedback processes. We recommend that they instead prepare and publish a single description of a single feedback process that meets the requirements set by all authorities. The benefits of establishing and describing a single feedback process include:

• reducing the time and resources the entity will need to prepare, publish, and update their descriptions
• ensuring consistency in how all parts of their organizations receive and deal with feedback, regardless of which authorities they must notify
• ensuring consistency in how all parts of their organizations identify, remove, and prevent barriers
• making it easier for employees, clients, persons with disabilities at large, and other members of the public to find and read the entity’s description

Basic principles

Section 6 of the ACA sets out principles that your organization must take into account in carrying out its obligations under the ACA. You must take these principles into account when establishing and describing your feedback process.

With these principles in mind, this guidance will help you ensure that your feedback process:

• offers accessible means by which people can submit feedback to your organization about barriers and the implementation of your accessibility plans
• applies a consistent approach to how your organization receives and deals with this feedback
• allows your organization to account for the feedback you have received when you write your progress reports