The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations govern accessibility for federally regulated organizations, in place of Ontario’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. The Act’s stated goal is a barrier-free Canada by 2040, across seven priority areas that include information and communication technologies.

Covered organizations work through a repeating 3-year cycle:

Year 1 — publish an accessibility plan, along with a description of the organization’s feedback process.
Year 2 — publish a progress report on implementing the plan, including feedback received and how it was considered.
Year 3 — publish a second progress report.
Then publish an updated plan within 36 months of the previous one, and the cycle repeats.

Plans and reports have to be prepared in consultation with persons with disabilities, and any document published online has to meet WCAG Level AA. Organizations must notify the Accessibility Commissioner, who sits within the Canadian Human Rights Commission, within 48 hours of publishing any required document. Records have to be kept for 7 years.

See Accessible Canada Act: Employer-Size Thresholds and Deadlines for when a given employer’s first plan was due. This is general information, not legal advice; confirm current requirements at the source before relying on them.

Related notes

Accessible Canada Act: Employer-Size Thresholds and Deadlines — First-plan deadlines under the Accessible Canada Act were phased by employer size — June 1, 2023 for 100 or more employees and June 1, 2024 for 10 to 99 — and organizations with 9 or fewer employees have no plan or reporting obligation at all.

Federal vs. Ontario Jurisdiction: The Employment-Law "Instead Of" Rule — A federally regulated employer follows the Canada Labour Code and related federal statutes in place of Ontario employment law, not on top of it — the federal regime replaces the ESA, OHSA, Human Rights Code, AODA and Pay Equity Act rather than adding to them.

Canadian Human Rights Commission: Complaint Process and How It Connects to Equity Obligations — Discrimination complaints against federally regulated employers go to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, which can investigate, help settle, dismiss, or refer a complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal — the same Commission also administers the Pay Equity and Accessible Canada Acts.

Employment Equity Act: The 100-Employee Threshold and Annual Report — Federally regulated private-sector employers and Crown corporations with 100 or more employees must analyze their workforce against four designated groups, maintain an employment equity plan, and file an annual report by June 1 — an obligation that doesn't apply at all below 100 employees.