Accessibility plan 2026-28

Table of contents

• Commissioner's message
• Executive Summary
• General Background
• Accessible Canada Act
• Government of Canada Context
• OCL Context
• Moving toward a more accessible OCL
• Principles
• General
• Consultations - Methodology
• Methodology
• Employment
• Built environment
• Information and communication technology (ICT)
• Communication, other than ICT
• Procurement of goods, services and facilities
• Design and delivery of programs and services
• Transportation

Message from the Commissioner of Lobbying

I am pleased to present the Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying’s (OCL) Accessibility Plan 2026–2028.

This plan sets out the OCL’s objectives and supporting actions in accordance with the Accessible Canada Act, to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility for Canadians in carrying out our mandate, as well as to meet the accessibility needs of our staff.

We recognize that accessibility is an ongoing process, and this plan builds on the work already accomplished under the Accessibility Plan 2023–2025. This includes ongoing efforts to improve the accessibility of our website and the Registry of Lobbyists, to learn and share best practices within the team, and to ensure an accessible workplace, including accessible technologies.

I would like to thank the team responsible for the Accessibility, Accommodation and Adaptive Computer Technology (AAACT) program for supporting the 2023–2025 plan. This includes reviewing a subset of pages from our website and from the Registry of Lobbyists, and making recommendations that we have implemented and will continue to apply to other website and Registry pages.

I am delighted to share this plan, which reflects the OCL’s values, and to ensure continued progress and transparency in this important work to increase accessibility and remove barriers.

Nancy Bélanger
Commissioner of Lobbying

Executive Summary

The federal lobbying program sets out requirements and standards for transparent and ethical lobbying of federal officials.

The Commissioner of Lobbying, with the OCL’s support, administers the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct.

The OCL’s main responsibilities are as follows:

• maintaining the Registry of Lobbyists,
• increasing awareness and understanding of the lobbying program and compliance requirements through education, and
• performing compliance work that supports adherence to federal lobbying requirements.

The Commissioner is independent of the government and reports directly to Parliament.

The OCL supports a culture that values diversity and inclusion in order to provide the highest quality services to Canadians and enable its staff, clients and stakeholders to participate fully in the achievement of its activities and mandate. The Canadian legislative framework that supports diversity and inclusion is strengthened by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), which came into force on July 11, 2019.

This document sets out the OCL’s plan over the next three years to remove barriers and prevent new barriers in the seven priority action areas, as described in section 5 of the ACA, in support of the following eight organizational goals:

• Goal 1 — Cultivate a culture of accessibility, where respect and inclusion are embedded in all aspects of the workplace and where all employees are empowered and supported to achieve their full potential.
  Goal 2 — Implement accessible practices to eliminate and prevent barriers to the recruitment, retention and promotion of persons with disabilities.
  Goal 3 — Create a workplace free of physical barriers to improve the working environment for OCL staff, regardless of their ability.
  Goal 4 — Ensure that OCL staff have a safe working environment.
  Goal 5 — Provide accessible technology to ensure that OCL staff have the tools they need to perform their work and deliver accessible programs and services. 
  Goal 6 — Acquire and implement accessible technologies to provide Canadians with barrier-free access to the OCL’s programs and services.
  Goal 7 — Ensure that the OCL’s external communications products are developed in a culture of “accessibility by design,” where staff at all levels are aware of the requirements.
  Goal 8 — Share knowledge and best practices widely to reduce barriers across the public service.

General Background

The Government of Canada (GC) aspires to have a public service that is accessible to the Canadian public, government institutions and their employees. This desire is rooted in the belief that an inclusive public service is more innovative, efficient and productive. The goal is to make Canada’s public service barrier-free.

The government has focused on improving the participation of persons with disabilities in the federal public service and the Canadian workforce. As a result of physical, administrative, institutional, technological and attitudinal barriers in the workplace, persons with disabilities are underrepresented in the Canadian labour force. 

The number of people living with a physical disability is expected to rise from 2.9 million to 3.6 million in the next decade, nearly double the overall population growth rate. Removing barriers that prevent persons with disabilities from purchasing goods and services and accessing government services and employment is critical to improving their quality of life and ensuring that Canadian society benefits from their valuable participation. 

Accessible Canada Act

The Accessible Canada Act, which came into force on July 11, 2019, takes a proactive and inclusive approach to identifying and removing barriers in the federal government by 2040. It includes seven priority action areas:

• Employment
• Built environment
• Information and communication technologies
• Communication, other than information and communication technologies
• Procurement of goods, services and facilities
• Design and delivery of programs and services
• Transportation

Under the ACA, federally regulated entities must report to the public on their policies and practices for identifying and removing barriers by publishing their accessibility plans, feedback processes and progress reports.

Since December 2022, all federal departments, agencies and federally regulated employers have been required to develop an accessibility plan and report annually on their progress toward achieving its objectives.

Government of Canada Context

The ACA provides guidance to government departments, agencies and federally regulated organizations on removing barriers to achieve full accessibility, and in their reporting obligations to demonstrate progress. 

A federal workforce that reflects the Canadian population is considered vital to the design and implementation of bias- and barrier-free programs and services that address the needs of all Canadians.

It is important to note that the federal government has introduced many initiatives over the years to increase the representation, promotion and retention of employment equity group members and to systematically reduce any barriers. Federally regulated organizations, including all federal government departments and agencies, take these actions in accordance with the Employment Equity Act (EEA), which covers members of visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and women. 

Canada is recognized globally for its support of diversity. With the ACA and EEA, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canadian Human Rights Act, the Pay Equity Act, the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and the Official Languages Act are also part of the legislative framework that supports diversity and inclusion in Canada. 

OCL Context

The OCL’s mandate is to ensure transparent and ethical lobbying by administering the Lobbying Act and the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct. Its responsibilities include maintaining a searchable registry of information reported by lobbyists, raising awareness among stakeholders and verifying that lobbyists comply with requirements.

The OCL is a micro-organization made up of 35 skilled, talented and dedicated professionals who work to fulfil its mandate of ensuring transparent and ethical lobbying.

Although the OCL has promoted employment equity for many years, senior management has recognized the need to strengthen recruitment and workplace initiatives for persons with disabilities, and to work toward a more diverse workforce, a more accessible work environment and a more equitable approach for Canadians. 

The OCL’s goal with this accessibility plan is to meet two objectives: 

• identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility in the OCL’s delivery of services to the public; and
• continue to meet the accessibility needs of its current and future employees.

Moving toward a more accessible OCL

The OCL’s accessibility plan is supported by other relevant initiatives, including human resources, employment equity and the OCL’s strategic plan, as well as staff training on accessibility and inclusion in the workplace.

In 2025, the OCL conducted a study on the accessibility of its website and the Registry of Lobbyists. The OCL has implemented an action plan to address accessibility recommendations by December 31, 2025.

In addition, to promote an inclusive hiring process and following the advice of the Canadian Human Rights Commission (the human resources provider), the OCL introduced an unconscious bias prerequisite training course for managers with delegated staffing authority. Central agency inventories, pools and student placement programs for persons with disabilities are taken into account by hiring managers to meet their staffing needs.

The OCL also provides employees with specialized accessibility equipment based on the results of ergonomic assessments. This might include oversized monitors, large-print keyboards or writing assistance software.

Finally, all performance agreements include an organizational priority, with corresponding performance indicators focused on promoting and fostering diversity, equity, accessibility, inclusion and substantive equality of official languages within the OCL.

Principles

In accordance with the guiding principle “nothing about us, without us,” this plan was developed in consultation with OCL staff, clients and stakeholders.

The following sections present the activities planned by the OCL to achieve its eight accessibility goals over the next three years, including activities that the OCL is already conducting to promote accessibility for its staff and the Canadian public.

General

This information is provided for the purposes of giving feedback and for requesting the plan and/or feedback process in another format.

This plan is the result of a collaborative effort by the OCL’s management team and staff, public office holders, registrants, their representatives and members of the general public. This plan is a living document and will be updated regularly as new developments arise.

Should you have any questions, feel free to contact:

François Bertrand

Executive Director, Corporate Services

By email: info@lobbycanada.gc.ca

By mail: Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying

410, Laurier Avenue West, 8th floor, Ottawa, Ontario, K1R 1B7

By phone: (613) 957-2760

Consultations - Methodology

Methodology

This accessibility plan aims to provide the OCL with a path forward to remove barriers and adapt to changing demographics. It will be updated as new initiatives are introduced. It is essential to improve the lives of the OCL’s staff and members of the public with disabilities.

This plan was prepared by first conducting an environmental scan in order to ensure an understanding of central agency and other departmental accessibility initiatives and to review existing related policies and procedures. The exercise identified existing practices and initiatives that could be adopted as best practices throughout the organization.

OCL staff, clients and stakeholders were surveyed to ensure that the approach taken in preparing this plan was consistent with the principle of “nothing about us, without us.” This was done by using an open-ended survey on our website. Comments and recommendations received on next steps were incorporated into the final version of the plan. Representatives reviewed the proposed activities to ensure that the goals were articulated in a way that would be better understood by staff and management.

Employment

Built environment

The built environment can have a real impact on health and well-being and, if optimized, can ensure that staff, clients and stakeholders have equal and equitable access to internal infrastructure. 

Information and communication technology (ICT)

Central agencies and common service providers set government standards for procuring software and hardware for a wide range of products and services. Their leadership is key to making progress toward more accessible infrastructure.

Communication, other than ICT

The GC community of practice indicates that communications are a system for transmitting or exchanging information and that performance indicators are being developed for accessible communications. 

Government accessibility guidelines recommend that web content be written at a maximum reading level of Secondaire 2 in Quebec, and Grade 8 in other school systems. A plain language review of the current content could be considered for individuals who need assistance to understand and exercise their privacy rights.

Procurement of goods, services and facilities

The OCL signed a memorandum of understanding with the Parole Board of Canada for its procurement-related activities. As the OCL’s contracting authority, the Chief Financial Officer will ensure that procurement-related activities conducted on behalf of the OCL comply with all legal and policy requirements, including the ACA. Accessibility requirements will be part of the procurement process from the outset. 

Design and delivery of programs and services

The OCL has identified services that ensure transparency and accountability in lobbying activities involving public office holders, with a view to building public confidence as to the integrity of government decisions: 

• Maintain a registry of lobbyists.
• Offer services to stakeholders.
• Perform audits and investigate non-compliance.
• Review requests for exemptions from the five-year prohibition on lobbying.
• Verify the accuracy of monthly communication reports.
• Raise awareness.
• Maintain relationships with the media.

The goals and related activities outlined above represent the next steps the OCL will take to increase the accessibility of service management practices.

Transportation

This section does not apply to the OCL.