Feedback Process
Foreword
The House of Commons’ Feedback Process explains how the House of Commons receives and manages feedback on:
- the way it is implementing its Accessibility Plan 2023–2025;
- the barriers encountered by Members, employees and anyone else interacting with the House of Commons; and
- any other accessibility-related issues.
It also outlines how the House processes and archives this feedback.
Submitting, acknowledging and responding to feedback
The House of Commons has designated the Accessibility Secretariat, under the responsibility of the Director of Accessibility Implementation, as the main point of contact for accessibility-related inquiries and feedback.
Feedback can be submitted to the Accessibility Secretariat, as follows:
Messages with photos, videos, links, and other attachments can be sent to accessible@parl.gc.ca.
Those who send feedback by email will receive a reply confirming receipt of their email and informing them that the Accessibility Secretariat will follow up on their feedback within five business days. The Accessibility Secretariat will also inform them if additional time is required to look into any given matter.
Online
An electronic form can be submitted anonymously or with contact information. An automatic message will confirm that the form has been submitted successfully.
Those who provide their contact information with the electronic form will be informed that the Accessibility Secretariat will follow up on their feedback within five business days. The Accessibility Secretariat will also inform them if additional time is required to look into any given matter.
Phone
A voicemail service is available: 613-995-1111 (Ottawa) and 1-833-725-2686 (toll-free).
The Accessibility Secretariat will acknowledge reception of voicemails (by telephone or by whatever means of communication requested in a voicemail) and provide an initial follow-up within five business days. The Accessibility Secretariat will inform them if additional time is required to deal with the matter.
Letters and physical documents can be sent to:
Accessibility Secretariat
House of Commons
181 Queen Street
PO BOX 11
Ottawa ON K1A 0A6
Letters and physical documents will be processed upon receipt. When contact information is provided, a follow-up letter will be sent within 10 business days of receipt (excluding Canada Post’s standard delivery times).
The Accessibility Secretariat will respond by mail, unless another means of communication is requested in a letter.
Organizing and archiving feedback
Upon receiving feedback, the Accessibility Secretariat will create a file and log the following information:
- feedback date, type and summary;
- person’s name, organization, and contact information when available;
- response date and summary; and
- actions taken.
File retention period
Files will be retained for a minimum of seven years, in accordance with the Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations.
Digital files
Digital files, such as emails, transcriptions and scans, will be transferred to the archives folder in the Accessibility Secretariat’s inbox.
Voicemails
Voicemails will be converted into audio files or transcribed, then digitally archived.
Letters and physical documents will be scanned or transcribed, then digitally archived. Once archived, physical documents will be properly destroyed.
Processing feedback
The Accessibility Secretariat will evaluate all feedback and will manage all responses, as appropriate. Any issues or recommendations will be escalated to the appropriate support teams across the House.
The House of Commons is committed to carefully considering and analyzing all feedback and to taking the appropriate actions to remove identified barriers and improve its accessibility plan and consultation process.