e-2807 (Consumer protection)

Health Canada recognizes the daily challenges faced by Canadians with visual impairments. The Government of Canada is committed to increasing accessibility to all persons and continues to consider vulnerable populations more broadly, such as Canadians with visual impairments, when setting policies that impact products used by consumers.  

The Accessible Canada Act has been guiding the Government of Canada’s work on disability inclusion since June 2019. Work is ongoing to proactively identify, remove and eliminate barriers to accessibility and inclusion across sectors in Canada.   

Consumer safety is a shared responsibility among governments, industry and the public. Health Canada makes online materials available in accessible formats, including for persons with visual impairments, for a range of issues, such as guidance on using household chemicals safely. We recognize that such guidance may be limited in its utility in supporting an adult with a visual impairment in their day-to-day lives.

Health Canada regulates a number of different products available to consumers that may require hazard labelling, including consumer products, cosmetics, health products, pest control products and foods. These labelling requirements are captured by a number of different pieces of legislation. Many of these acts and regulations include requirements related to the presentation of this information, including that text be displayed in both official languages. In many cases, Health Canada provides additional guidance on typeface, font size and contrast to maximize legibility of safety information on labels.

While the regulatory requirements do not compel manufacturers, importers or retailers to make warnings or safety information be displayed in Braille (English or French) or in another form of tactile symbols, it does not prevent industry from applying innovative solutions that could provide such accessibility, as long as all applicable requirements of the acts and regulations are met.

We will continue to work with the disability community in our efforts to create a more accessible and inclusive Canada for all, especially Canadians with disabilities.  

We thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.