2023 Reports 1 to 4 of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of Canada—Work to improve accessibility for travelers with disabilities must continue to achieve a barrier-free Canada

2023 Reports 1 to 4 of the Auditor General of Canada to the Parliament of CanadaWork to improve accessibility for travelers with disabilities must continue to achieve a barrier-free Canada

Ottawa, 27 March 2023—A report from Auditor General Karen Hogan tabled today in the House of Commons concludes that while VIA Rail, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, and the Canadian Transportation Agency had taken steps to identify and remove some of the barriers faced by travelers with disabilities, many remain. More work will be required to meet the federal government’s goal of achieving a barrier-free Canada.

The audit found that the organizations had made progress in engaging with persons with disabilities on specific activities. For example, consultations took place to inform the development of accessibility plans and on the design of VIA Rail’s new fleet.

However, improvements were still needed in many important areas. For example, online information was often not fully accessible, which caused issues such as incorrect information for a person using a screen reader or information being difficult to find. Accessibility of online information is one of the barriers most frequently experienced by travelers with disabilities, according to Statistics Canada. The audit also found that staff and management did not always complete accessibility training.

The audit found that inspections carried out by the Canadian Transportation Agency could better contribute to identifying, removing, and preventing barriers. The agency conducted few inspections, and it did not have the authority to request complaint data from service providers to improve its oversight. Meanwhile, service providers focused on resolving individual complaints and missed opportunities to use complaint data to better understand the lived experience of travelers.

“While we found progress in some areas, many barriers remained,” said Ms. Hogan. “To further improve the accessibility of trains, planes and other federally-regulated modes of transportation, responsible organizations need to broaden their consultations, make their online content fully accessible, and use complaint data to identify, learn about, and prevent barriers.”

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The 2023 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada, Report 1—Accessible Transportation for Persons With Disabilities, is available on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada website.

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