Opening Statement to the Standing Committee on Human Resources, Skills and Social Development and the Status of Persons with Disabilities

Accessible Transportation for Persons With Disabilities

(Report 1—2023 Reports of the Auditor General of Canada)

20 June 2023

Casey Thomas
Assistant Auditor General

Mr. Chair, thank you for this opportunity to discuss our report on accessible transportation for persons with disabilities, which was tabled in the House of Commons on March 27th. I would like to acknowledge that this hearing is taking place on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishinaabe people. Joining me today are Milan Duvnjak, the principal who was responsible for the audit, and Susie Fortier, the director who led the audit team.

This audit looked at whether VIA Rail, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority, and the Canadian Transportation Agency worked to identify, remove, and prevent barriers for travellers with disabilities. In 2019 and 2020, more than 1 million persons with disabilities who travelled on a federally regulated mode of transportation faced a barrier.

We found that all 3 organizations had identified some barriers and taken steps to improve accessibility. VIA Rail held consultations with persons with disabilities while designing its new fleet. It also consulted on its accessibility plan and training programs, as did the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority.

However, improvements were still needed in many important areas. For example, online information was not fully accessible. According to Statistics Canada, this is one of the barriers most frequently experienced by travellers with disabilities. Poor accessibility means that information is difficult to find or is incorrect for someone using a screen reader. This makes it difficult for persons with disabilities to plan or book a trip by themselves.

We also found that staff and management did not always complete accessibility training. This can affect the service provided to travellers with disabilities and their companions.

As the organization responsible for enforcing accessibility regulations in the transportation industry, the Canadian Transportation Agency identified accessibility barriers through its inspections, and it worked with transportation service providers to remove some. However, we found that the agency conducted few inspections, and it could only request complaint data from service providers in certain circumstances. Consistent access to this data would help the agency improve its oversight. Meanwhile, the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority and VIA Rail focused on resolving individual complaints, and they missed opportunities to use complaint data to better understand travellers’ lived experiences.

Every person has a right to participate fully and equally in society. If access to these rights is delayed or denied, the impact is that some members of society are excluded or left behind.

To further improve the accessibility of trains, planes, and other federally regulated modes of transportation, responsible organizations need to broaden their consultations with persons with disabilities, make their online content fully accessible, and use complaint data to identify, learn about, and prevent barriers. This work is necessary to achieve the federal government’s goal of a barrier-free Canada by 2040.

Mr. Chair, this concludes my opening statement. We would be pleased to answer any questions the committee may have. Thank you.