Accessibility law · Americas

Canada CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 → WCAG 2.1 AA (federal, from Dec 2027) — Ontario AODA: WCAG 2.0 AA

In Canada, the standard to meet is CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 → WCAG 2.1 AA (federal, from Dec 2027) — Ontario AODA: WCAG 2.0 AA. It binds federal bodies and federally regulated businesses such as banks, telecoms and transport; provinces add their own rules. This page was reviewed against primary sources on 30 September 2026.

Standard
CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024 → WCAG 2.1 AA (federal, from Dec 2027) — Ontario AODA: WCAG 2.0 AA
Private sector
Partly
Accessibility statement
Required
Next deadline
31 Dec 2026
Reviewed
30 September 2026
The 50 criteria All jurisdictions Checklist

Scope

Who it applies to

Federally regulated organizations must publish accessibility plans, run a feedback process and report progress under the Accessible Canada Act. Rules registered on December 5, 2025 make CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 AA for the web) binding: federal public-sector bodies from December 5, 2027, and federally regulated businesses with 100 or more employees from December 5, 2028; smaller businesses are exempt. In Ontario, public-sector bodies and organizations with 50 or more employees have had to meet WCAG 2.0 AA on public websites since January 1, 2021.

  • Public sector

    Federal departments and other Financial Administration Act entities, Crown corporations, designated parts of the federal public administration and the Canadian Forces (Accessible Canada Act); parliamentary entities to the extent set out in the Act. In Ontario, the provincial government, the Legislative Assembly and designated public sector organizations such as municipalities (AODA). Quebec's SGQRI 008 3.0 binds Quebec public bodies and government enterprises.

  • Private sector

    Partly

    Businesses under federal jurisdiction, such as banks, telecommunications, broadcasting and interprovincial transport. Planning and reporting apply from an average of 10 employees; the 2025 digital rules apply to businesses averaging 100 to 499 employees (new or updated web pages only) and 500 or more (also apps, documents, statements and procurement). Provincially regulated businesses answer to provincial law: in Ontario, businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees must meet WCAG 2.0 AA on public websites.

Coverage

What it covers

Websites are only part of it. Each tile says whether these rules reach that kind of product, with the detail.

  • Websites

    Covered

    Federal: new or updated web pages to EN 301 549 clauses 4–7 and 9 from 2027–2028; Ontario: WCAG 2.0 AA since 2021

  • Mobile apps

    Partly

    Federal public-sector bodies and large businesses: public mobile apps (clauses 4–7 and 11) from December 5, 2028

  • Documents

    Partly

    Federal public-sector bodies and large businesses: non-web documents offered for download from December 5, 2028 (clause 10)

  • Software

    Partly

    ICT is a priority area in the Act and in accessibility plans, but no binding rule covers software beyond web, apps and documents

  • Kiosks and terminals

    Unclear

    Not covered by the 2025 digital rules; sector rules such as transport were not reviewed

  • Public procurement

    Covered

    Federal public-sector bodies and large businesses must obtain conformity assessments when buying covered ICT, from December 5, 2028

Timeline

Deadlines

Next: 31 Dec 2026. Ontario businesses and non-profits with 20+ employees file their three-yearly accessibility compliance report.

Dates move, so check the linked source before you plan around one.

  1. 1 Jan 2021 In force

    Ontario: all public websites and web content of designated public sector organizations and organizations with 50+ employees must meet WCAG 2.0 AA, except 1.2.4 and 1.2.5.

    Source

  2. 1 Jun 2023 In force

    Federally regulated businesses with 100+ employees publish their first accessibility plan (government bodies by December 31, 2022; businesses with 10–99 employees by June 1, 2024).

    Source

  3. 29 Apr 2024 In force

    Quebec: SGQRI 008 3.0 takes effect for new or significantly changed web content of Quebec public bodies.

    Source

  4. 5 Dec 2025 In force

    Digital accessibility rules (SOR/2025-255) registered, making CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 binding on a delayed timetable.

    Source

  5. 2 Mar 2026 In force

    Treasury Board rescinds the 2011 Standard on Web Accessibility; departments keep WCAG 2.0 as a floor while they plan for CAN/ASC-EN 301 549.

    Source

  6. 31 Dec 2026 Upcoming

    Ontario businesses and non-profits with 20+ employees file their three-yearly accessibility compliance report.

    Source

  7. 5 Dec 2027 Upcoming

    Federal public-sector bodies: new or updated web pages must conform, staff training done, and web accessibility statements published.

    Source

  8. 5 Dec 2028 Upcoming

    Businesses with 100+ employees: web pages must conform; federal bodies and businesses with 500+ employees: mobile apps, downloadable documents, statements and procurement assessments.

    Source

Instruments

The law in Canada

6 laws, rules and rulings, oldest first. Each links to its primary source.

Every fact points at a primary source. Dates move, and several moved in 2025 and 2026, so check the source before you rely on one.

  1. 2011

    Integrated Accessibility Standards, s. 14 (AODA)

    Ontario — O. Reg. 191/11 under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005

    Designated public sector organizations and organizations with 50+ employees in Ontario must make public websites and web content, including web-based applications, meet WCAG 2.0: Level A for new sites from 2014 and Level AA for all sites from 2021, except live captions and prerecorded audio description.

    Primary source

  2. Jun 2019

    Accessible Canada Act

    S.C. 2019, c. 10

    Aims for a Canada without barriers by January 1, 2040, with information and communication technologies as a priority area. Federally regulated entities must publish accessibility plans, feedback processes and progress reports; the Accessibility Commissioner enforces and hears complaints.

    Primary source

  3. Dec 2021

    Accessible Canada Regulations

    SOR/2021-241

    Sets the dates and content for accessibility plans, feedback processes and progress reports, exempts private entities averaging fewer than 10 employees, and sets administrative monetary penalties of up to $250,000.

    Primary source

  4. Apr 2024

    Standard sur l'accessibilité des sites Web (SGQRI 008 3.0)

    Quebec — under the policy required by the Loi assurant l'exercice des droits des personnes handicapées

    Quebec public bodies and government enterprises must meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA plus some WCAG 2.2 criteria for new or significantly changed web content, including downloadable documents and multimedia. Older content stays under SGQRI 008 2.0.

    Primary source

  5. May 2024

    CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024

    Accessibility Standards Canada — identical adoption of EN 301 549:2021

    Accessibility requirements for ICT products and services; clause 9 equals WCAG 2.1 Level AA. A voluntary standard when published; it becomes binding only through the 2025 regulations.

    Primary source

  6. Dec 2025 Latest

    Regulations Amending the Accessible Canada Regulations (Part 1.1, ICT)

    SOR/2025-255, Canada Gazette Part II, December 17, 2025

    Makes CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 binding, incorporated as amended from time to time, for web pages, mobile apps and downloadable documents, with training, accessibility statements, procurement assessments and four-year record keeping. Federal public-sector bodies from December 5, 2027; businesses with 100+ employees from December 5, 2028.

    Primary source

Enforcement

Enforcement and penalties

  • Who enforces

    Accessibility Commissioner (at the Canadian Human Rights Commission) for most federally regulated entities; the CRTC for broadcasting and telecommunications; the Canadian Transportation Agency for federal transport. In Ontario, the ministry responsible for accessibility.

  • How

    Federally: inspections, compliance orders, notices of violation with administrative monetary penalties, and individual complaints. Ontario audits organizations and their compliance reports and escalates persistent non-compliance to director's orders, administrative monetary penalties or prosecution.

  • Penalties

    Accessible Canada Act: up to $250,000 per violation under the Accessible Canada Regulations, scaled by seriousness and entity size; breaches of the 2025 digital rules are classed as minor violations. Ontario: administrative monetary penalties set by regulation; amounts not confirmed here.

  • Individuals

    Yes. Anyone harmed or otherwise adversely affected by a breach of the Act's regulations can complain to the Accessibility Commissioner within 12 months. The Commissioner can order corrective measures and compensation, including up to $20,000 (indexed yearly) for pain and suffering and a further amount of up to the same sum for a wilful or reckless practice.

Accessibility statement

A statement is required

Required

Under the 2025 rules, federal public-sector bodies (web pages from December 5, 2027; apps and documents from December 5, 2028) and businesses with 500 or more employees (December 5, 2028) must publish an accessibility statement in simple, clear language. It must give its date, two ways to make contact, the entity's obligations, accessibility features, known non-conformities, alternative measures and plans with timelines to fix gaps; update it at least every 12 months and keep copies for four years. Separately, every federally regulated entity must publish an accessibility plan every three years and a progress report in the other years.

Exemptions

What is exempt

Exemptions are narrow and usually have to be claimed and explained, not assumed.

  • Federally regulated businesses averaging fewer than 10 employees: no plans or progress reports
  • Businesses averaging fewer than 100 employees: exempt from the 2025 digital rules
  • Businesses with 100–499 employees: only new or updated public web pages and training; no apps, documents, statements or procurement duties
  • Content kept for historical, artistic or aesthetic interest (heritage content)
  • User-generated content, such as public comments on a consultation forum
  • Employee-facing collaborative digital environments
  • Maps, mapping services, technical drawings and images: conform only to the extent feasible, with no alternative required
  • First Nations band councils: exempt from the digital rules and from planning and reporting until December 31, 2033
  • Ontario: web content published before January 1, 2012; live captions (1.2.4) and prerecorded audio description (1.2.5); cases where meeting the requirement is not practicable

The standard

What WCAG 2.1 Level AA asks for

50 success criteria: 30 at Level A and 20 at Level AA. 4.1.1 Parsing counts in this version, but WCAG 2.2 removed it as obsolete, so it has no page here.

1. Perceivable

2. Operable

3. Understandable

4. Robust

Beyond the law

6 Level A and AA criteria in WCAG 2.2 that these rules do not require yet. Meeting them now costs little and is where the rules are heading.

Meeting it

Where to start

The standard named here is WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

  1. Audit your pages against WCAG 2.1 Level AA: 50 success criteria at Level A and AA.
  2. Check text and control contrast in the Contrast Checker.
  3. Run the URL Analyzer for the problems a machine can find, then test with a keyboard and a screen reader.
  4. Publish an accessibility statement that says what does not meet the standard yet, and how to report a problem.
  5. If you sell to the public sector, document conformance in an accessibility conformance report, such as a VPAT or an EN 301 549 statement.
  6. Work through the Accessibility Checklist and keep a record of what you tested.

This is a summary to orient you, not legal advice. For a decision that matters, read the primary sources and ask a lawyer who practices there.

Questions

Common questions

  • Is CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 mandatory today?

    Not yet. Accessibility Standards Canada published it in May 2024 as a voluntary standard. The December 2025 regulations make it binding on federally regulated entities from December 5, 2027 (federal public sector) and December 5, 2028 (businesses with 100+ employees). You may instead conform to a newer EN 301 549, or to the previous edition for three years after a new one is published.

  • Does it apply to private companies?

    Only to businesses under federal jurisdiction, such as banks, telecoms, broadcasters and interprovincial transport. Other businesses fall under provincial law. In Ontario, businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees have had to meet WCAG 2.0 AA on public websites since 2021.

  • What must federal government websites meet right now?

    The Treasury Board Standard on Web Accessibility was rescinded in March 2026. The Chief Information Officer told departments to keep public websites and mobile apps at least at WCAG 2.0 and to plan to meet CAN/ASC-EN 301 549 by the regulatory deadlines.

  • Do we have to fix old pages and PDFs?

    The federal rules apply to web pages created or updated, and documents made available for download, on or after the date the rules first apply to you, and only to the extent feasible; where content cannot conform you must offer another way to get the key information. Ontario's rule covers content published after January 1, 2012.

Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from one of these; the few secondary sources are marked. Reviewed 30 September 2026.

Elsewhere

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