Guidance on the Accessible Canada Regulations: purpose, use, and compliance

On this page

• What are regulations
• Why use guidance
• Compliance and enforcement of the Accessible Canada Regulations
• Contact the Accessible Canada Directorate

What are regulations

Regulations are rules made by the government. They control the way people and organizations do things.

The Accessible Canada Regulations (ACARs) are rules established under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), that provide detailed guidelines on how federally regulated public and private organizations can comply with laws to remove barriers for persons with disabilities.

The ACARs became law in December 2021. These Regulations:

• set the rules for accessibility planning, reporting, and feedback processes
• set penalties for not following the ACA and its regulations

The ACARs aim to foster a shift towards greater accessibility and inclusion. To achieve this, amendments to these regulations include new requirements for digital technologies to be designed accessible from the start, not retrofitted as an afterthought. This means ensuring digital technologies are easy to find, simple to understand, and usable by everyone, including persons with disabilities.

Additional amendments to the ACARs introduce a new part titled “Information and Communication Technologies”. The amendments (referred to as Phase 1 Regulations) set out the first phase of new requirements to make sure federally regulated organizations have the capacity and knowledge to make all their digital technologies accessible from the start.

Phase 1 Regulations apply to:

• web pages
• digital documents
• mobile applications

To achieve this, federally regulated organizations will have to follow the most recent version of the CAN/ASC-EN 301 549, also known as the ICT Standard.

In the next Phase, the Digital Technologies Accessibility Regulations could include additional accessibility requirements for other more complex digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence.

Understanding the regulatory requirements is just the beginning. Applying them effectively within your organization is where meaningful change happens. The Guidance Hub is designed to help you do exactly that: turn regulatory expectations into meaningful, actionable steps that foster accessibility, remove barriers, and build lasting change.

Related links and resources

• Accessible Canada Regulations
• Summary of the Accessible Canada Regulations
• Summary of the proposed changes to the Accessible Canada Regulations about Digital Accessibility

Why use guidance

During the ACARs consultations, the Government of Canada heard clearly that federally regulated organizations need practical support to help them understand and how to confidently meet and exceed regulatory requirements.

Regulatory guidance contains actionable instructions, best practices, tools, and resources designed to help you:

• align your organization with the purpose and goals of the regulations
• proactively identify and remove barriers before they arise
• build confidence across teams in meeting and exceeding regulatory requirements

Since December 2021, ESDC has developed guidance to help federally regulated organizations fulfill their planning and reporting requirements. Guidance materials are evergreen resources. ESDC reviews and updates its regulatory guidance on a regular basis to ensure it remains clear, concise, and aligned with current practices.

ESDC is also working to develop and publish additional guidance to support federally regulated organizations in meeting and exceeding the new Digital Technologies Accessibility Regulations.

Compliance and enforcement of the Accessible Canada Regulations

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) established the Accessibility Commissioner as part of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC). The Accessibility Commissioner is responsible for ensuring compliance with the ACA and its regulations by conducting audits, handling complaints, and taking enforcement actions when necessary.

The Accessibility Commissioner's primary mandate is to promote proactive compliance. This means encouraging federally regulated organizations to take meaningful steps to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to accessibility.

Federally regulated organizations are expected to:

• cooperate fully during inspections
• provide requested documents, data, and assistance

If a federally regulated organization fails to meet the requirements under the ACARs, the Accessibility Commissioner can issue an administrative monetary penalty.

Office of the Accessibility Commissioner

Visit the office of the Accessibility Commissioner website for more information on compliance and enforcement for the Accessible Canada Regulations.

The Commissioner's office is open Monday to Friday, 8:00AM to 8:00PM (Eastern Time).

You can contact the Commissioner's office by the following means:

Telephone:

• Toll free: 1-888-214-1090
• TTY: 1-888-643-3304
• Canada Video Relay Service (VRS)

Fax: 613-996-9661

Email: info.com@chrc-ccdp.gc.ca

Contact us

If you have questions or comments about these guidance documents, please contact us at EDSC.LCA.REGLEMENTS-REGULATIONS.ACA.ESDC@servicecanada.gc.ca