Order in Council Directing that the Annual Report of the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization Be Discontinued: SI/2026-23
Canada Gazette, Part II, Volume 160, Number 10
Registration
SI/2026-23 May 20, 2026
FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATION ACT
Order in Council Directing that the Annual Report of the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization Be Discontinued
P.C. 2026-403 April 30, 2026
Whereas it appears to the Governor in Council that the annual report of the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization, required by section 36 of the Accessible Canada Actfootnote a to be laid before both Houses of Parliament, contains the same information as or less information than is contained in the Public Accounts or in any estimates of expenditures submitted to Parliament;
Therefore, Her Excellency the Governor General in Council, on the recommendation of the Minister of Employment and Social Development, under section 157footnote b of the Financial Administration Actfootnote c, directs that the annual report of the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization, required by section 36 of the Accessible Canada Act footnote a to be laid before both Houses of Parliament, be discontinued.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
(This note is part of the Order.)
Proposal
This Order is made pursuant to section 157 of the Financial Administration Act and discontinues the requirement for the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization (CASDO), known as Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC), to table an annual report in Parliament, since this report contains the same information as, or less information than, ASC’s Departmental Results Report (DRR), which is also tabled in Parliament.
Objective
The objective is to reduce duplication in reporting and promote efficient use of resources, without compromising the level of information accessible to the public.
Background
Under section 36 of the Accessible Canada Act, ASC is required to submit an annual report to the responsible minister, which is the Minister of Employment and Social Development, who then must table the report in Parliament.
In parallel, ASC is required to submit an annual DRR to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. This report is tabled in Parliament by the President of the Treasury Board. Both documents serve the same purpose: to provide an account of actual performance against planned results for the fiscal year.
Section 157 of the Financial Administration Act allows the Governor in Council to discontinue a document if it contains the same or less information than is provided in the Public Accounts or in any estimates of expenditures submitted to Parliament. The DRR is a Part III Estimates document. A comparison of 2023 to 2024 of ASC’s annual report and its 2023 to 2024 DRR confirms that the annual report contains the same information, thus meeting the requirements of the Financial Administration Act.
Similar orders have been made for the annual reports of
- the Northern Pipeline Agency (SI/2022-18);
- the Canada Revenue Agency (SI/2016-63);
- the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (SI/2005-50);
- the Parks Canada Agency (SI/2005-50);
- the Canada Industrial Relations Board (SI/2003-146); and
- the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (SI/2003-146).
Implications
Reducing duplication will promote efficiency without compromising transparency. Parliamentarians and other interested parties who used the annual reports will experience no loss of information, as the same information is contained in ASC’s DRR. Both reports were available on ASC’s website; therefore, interested parties will continue to have comprehensive insight into the organization’s performance.
Consultation
No external consultations were conducted, as the Order does not affect the availability of information to Parliament or the public.
Contact
Dino Zuppa
Chief Executive Officer
Accessibility Standards Canada