‘More progress is required to fully embed accessibility into the culture and the operations of the public service’
The federal government's Office of Public Service Accessibility is in limbo months after releasing an internal document that accuses Ottawa of falling behind on critical supports for employees with disabilities, according to a report.
The document—prepared for the Treasury Board president in June—reveals significant gaps in how the government accommodates workers with disabilities, particularly those with mental health and neurodiversity-related needs, reported The Canadian Press (CP).
The report states that accommodating employees with disabilities remains "a challenge" in the public service, especially when barriers are difficult to identify.
The Office of Public Service Accessibility—created in 2018—was renewed through Budget 2024 but faces funding expiration on March 31, 2026, with no commitment for continuation.
Inconsistent assessment methods
According to the report, government departments have inconsistent methods for assessing accessibility progress, undermining the ability to identify and address workplace barriers effectively.
"Some use clear and measurable indicators, while others rely on general descriptions," said Rola Salem, spokesperson for the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, according to CP.
CP noted that the government did achieve some objectives. It achieved its goal of hiring 5,000 new employees with disabilities by 2025 and made progress on anti-bias training and centralized accommodation processes. Employment data shows the core federal public service increased its workforce of people with disabilities from 12,893 in 2021 to 21,089 in 2024.
However, the government has fallen behind in "several important areas," according to the CP report.
Consultation gap, implementation delays
The Office of Public Service Accessibility document identified a significant consultation gap. The document cited what it called a "lack" of external consultations with people with disabilities, stating that such engagement would provide essential feedback for designing better services and identifying barriers.
Implementation delays plague the accommodation system, according to the government office. Common barriers include workplace noise and workstation equipment problems. More complex issues create extended delays. Barriers related to IT requests and changes to the built environment "may be among those that take the longest to implement," Salem said.
Salem noted that procurement processes for adaptive technologies are being streamlined to reduce delays and increase consistency across departments.
"Collectively, more progress is required to fully embed accessibility into the culture and the operations of the public service," the government office concludes in its report, according to CP.
The federal auditor general plans to release a report next year examining recruitment, retention and promotion of people with disabilities in the federal public service.
Core principles of an accessible workplace
On May 29, 2025, Accessibility Standards Canada released its revised CAN/ASC-1.1:2024 (REV-2025) – Employment standard, a national framework aimed at helping organizations build accessible and inclusive work environments for all employees, particularly persons with disabilities.
A significant component of the revised standard is Section 11.2.2, titled “Worker-centred actions.” This section highlights how informal workplace dynamics—such as hallway discussions, impromptu meetings, and social events—can create or perpetuate exclusion if not properly addressed.
The Accessible Canada Act is a federal law that aims to identify, remove and prevent barriers facing people with disabilities. The federal government adopted the Act in 2019. The goal of the Act is to create a Canada without barriers by 2040.
Under the Act, nstead of waiting for people with disabilities to ask for barriers to be removed, organizations must start finding, removing and preventing barriers .
The Act applies to the federal government and to organizations that are regulated by the federal government. This includes government departments and private businesses that work in certain areas like banks, airlines and phone companies.
Organizations must:
- consult people with disabilities
- publish accessibility plans about how they are finding, removing and preventing barriers
- set up ways to receive and respond to feedback about accessibility
- publish progress reports about how they are following their accessibility plans
Organizations must notify the Accessibility Commissioner when they publish their plans, feedback processes and progress reports.
