Accommodation requests for some disabled public servants take hundreds of days: AG

A new report from Auditor General of Canada Karen Hogan finds that, overall, the federal public service has made strides in fostering an accessible workplace. Photo by HYUNGCHEOL PARK /Postmedia

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Some government organizations average more than a hundred days to address accommodation requests, according to a new report from Canada’s auditor general.

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The report tabled in Parliament on Monday, May 4, looked at the experience of employees with disabilities at seven departments and agencies across the federal government between April 2023 and September 2025. It found that overall, the federal public service is fostering an accessible workplace.

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“While I am encouraged by the progress to date in representation and the commitment to accessibility, there is still room for improvement in how accommodations are delivered and employees with disabilities are engaged,” Auditor General Karen Hogan said in a news release.

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According to the report, the seven organizations — Canada School of Public Service, Employment and Social Development Canada, Public Service Commission of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada, Shared Services Canada, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Canada Revenue Agency — made progress in the representation and advancement of employees with disabilities.

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At the same time, however, all seven had “ineffective processes” to handle the volume of accommodation requests from workers.

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“This finding matters because an ineffective or delayed accommodation process can leave employees with disabilities unable to perform their duties, creating stress and potentially leading to declines in productivity and morale,” the report said.

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“Ultimately, timely processes for delivering effective accommodations are vital to workplace accessibility.”

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The public service is legally obligated to provide an inclusive and accessible workplace. Accommodation requests sampled in the audit ranged from minor tweaks, such as ergonomic equipment, to major changes, such as a modified schedule or different job duties.

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The average time organizations took to resolve requests ranged from 24 days all the way up to 310 days.

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The five government organizations that set response goals or tracked timelines outperformed the other two by a wide margin. The two worst performers, Public Services and Procurement Canada and Canada Revenue Agency, took an average of 169 and 310 days respectively to address accommodation requests.

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Across all seven organizations, the report found a total of 22,582 requests were open at some point during the audit period. Employment and Social Development Canada had the most, with 10,334 active requests.

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The auditor found some data about the requests was missing, while other information was inconsistently gathered both within and between organizations.

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Although the audit was unable to identify the root cause of delays, public service supervisors who were surveyed often pointed to a lack of clarity or guidance on the accommodation process.