Under the Accessible Canada Act, federally regulated employers, such as CN, have reporting obligations in Canada on how we are making our workplace more accessible. At CN, our vision is to provide a safe, supportive and inclusive work environment where everyone can thrive and be recognized for their contributions toward our success. Identifying, removing and preventing barriers to accessibility is part of this approach.
1. Summary
On June 1st, 2023, Canadian National Railway Company (CN) published its first Accessibility Plan under the Accessible Canada Act (“the Act”). The goal of this plan is to remove existing barriers to accessibility at CN and to prevent new ones from being created in the future. As part of this plan, we set 18 detailed goals for ourselves. They aim to improve accessibility across multiple areas of our organization. These detailed goals vary, such as changing the format we use to publish documents on our website to a more accessible format, and updating our statement on our job postings to better include the disability community. We set timelines for each goal to reflect the different nature of each project.
On May 31, 2024, CN published its first Progress Report with the public which outlined the progress we made towards our accessibility goals. On March 17, 2025, we distributed a survey to all our employees across Canada to get feedback on how CN is supporting accessibility in the workplace. This survey generated nearly 400 responses, many of which contained thoughtful and informative feedback that we will incorporate into our work.
CN is now pleased to share our second annual Progress Report with the public. This report contains updates about the progress we have made in achieving our goals. It also outlines the work we plan to do going forward, and any takeaways we have learned along the way that will inform our progress.
Of our 18 accessibility goals, we are proud to have completed and/or made progress on several of them this year. We have also made significant progress toward many of our other goals, which will be outlined in this Progress Report.
2. General
2.1 CN’s Statement of Commitment
At CN, we hold inclusion as a fundamental value and are deeply committed to creating an environment that is open, welcoming and accessible to everyone. We recognize that the unique nature of our industry can sometimes create challenges for our employees and customers, and we are dedicated to removing these barriers whenever possible. We are also committed to doing this work in consultation with people who have disabilities. We recognize that people with disabilities are the experts when it comes to accessibility and so we will listen to their feedback as we move forward with the goals outlined in this plan. We also recognize that accessibility is an ongoing journey, and we are committed to continuously improving to ensure an inclusive experience for everyone.
When we developed our first Accessibility Plan, we proactively looked for accessibility barriers at our organization and made plans to remove the barriers that were discovered. We are also committed to making changes not outlined in this plan if new information about barriers becomes available. We will always try to do better and to improve accessibility across all aspects of CN.
Through our annual Progress Reports, like this one, we are sharing our progress in meeting our accessibility goals as we laid them out in our Accessibility Plan. These Progress Reports also help us to show our accountability to our employees and to the public for keeping up the work we have been doing to remove barriers to accessibility at CN.
2.2 Description of CN Rail
CN is a publicly-traded transportation and logistics company operating in Canada and the United States. We operate rail (trains), trucking, and marine (boat) transportation all over North America. CN works with its customers to ship goods on time and safely. CN does not transport people. We also educate our communities and the public on how to stay safe around the railway. Members of the public might interact with us through our website, through interactions with the CN police force, or through contacting us by e-mail or phone. CN has been operating trains in Canada for over 100 years. We have over 2,000 locations and approximately 18,000 employees in Canada. Most of our employees work jobs that involve some physical work or work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions. This includes people who operate the trains, and work in our railyards. Many of the locations that we work out of are industrial in nature and would be difficult to make fully accessible for all people. For example, in our rail yards, employees must be able to step over the train tracks to move around and service the train. Some employees work in our corporate offices. Office employees are currently working in a hybrid model, doing some work from home and some work from our office spaces.
2.3 How to Contact Us or Provide Feedback
CN invites feedback from our employees, stakeholders, and members of the public about our accessibility and our progress in achieving our goals.
If you would like to share your feedback with us, you can contact the Senior Manager Human Resources Compliance in the following ways:
- by email at accessibility@cn.ca
- by phone at 833-399-5979
- by mail at the following address:
935 de La Gauchetière Street West, Montréal, Québec, H3B 2M9
We also accept feedback through our website and through our social media channels.
We will respond to let you know that we received your feedback. We will not respond to feedback that is submitted anonymously (without providing a name or contact information). We will store a copy of all the feedback we receive, in a central location, for at least 7 years. We will report on the feedback we receive in future years’ progress reports and will use the feedback to develop future accessibility plans.
2.4 How to Request Alternate Formats
This Progress Report and a description of our feedback process are available in alternative formats by request. To request a copy of this report in a different or more accessible format, you can contact the Senior Manager Human Resources Compliance in the following ways:
- by email at accessibility@cn.ca
- by phone at 833-399-5979
- by mail at the following address:
935 de La Gauchetière Street West, Montréal, Québec, H3B 2M9
We will respond to requests for other formats as soon as we are able. For each alternative format, CN commits to providing them within a certain number of days:
- Print: available within 15 days of the initial request.
- Large print (Increased font size): available within 15 days of the initial request.
- Braille (a system of raised dots that people who are blind or who have low vision can read with their fingers): available within 45 days of the initial request.
- Audio (a recording of someone reading the text out loud): available within 45 days of the initial request.
2.5 Definitions
The following definitions apply throughout this plan:
- Disability: Any impairment, or difference in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, or communication ability. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or can change over time.
- Barrier: Anything that might hinder people with disabilities' full and equal participation. Barriers can be architectural, technological, attitudinal, based on information or communications, or can be the result of a policy or procedure.
- Accessibility: The design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies, and rules in a way that allows all people, including people with a variety of disabilities, to access them.
3. Areas Described under Section 5 of the ACA
3.1 Organization-Wide Initiatives
In our Accessibility Plan, we set two goals that apply broadly to CN as a whole company. These goals aim to increase knowledge about accessibility and disability across our organization. These goals are:
3.1.1 By June 2026, CN will launch an awareness campaign to all employees on accessibility.
3.1.2 By June 2026, CN will improve training for managers on disability management and accommodations.
CN began its journey on raising awareness on accessibility at the time we published our first Accessibility Plan on June 1, 2023. We communicated our accessibility goals to employees, and we shared with them the progress we made in 2024 and 2025. We also distributed an annual survey to all our employees in Canada to get their feedback on how CN is supporting accessibility in the workplace.
As part of CN’s Mental Wellness Campaign, we launched a new Mental Wellness website to all employees on May 1, 2025. This new, centralized website brings together a wide range of information and resources aimed at fostering a culture of care, safety, and inclusion across our organization. Employees have access to a wide range of resources, including helpful tools, practices, and procedures designed to support their overall health and to foster a positive and balanced workplace.
In early 2025, CN put together a Disability Committee involving members from several departments, including Human Resources, Labour Relations, Benefits, Occupational Health Services and Workers’ Compensation. This committee was developed due to feedback we received from employees and managers who experienced challenges in navigating our disability application process and return to work.
We are developing disability guides for both managers and employees. These guides will outline the steps to follow when an employee applies for a leave of absence related to their disability. The guides will also provide managers and employees with practical resources to foster an inclusive and supportive workplace. We expect these guides to be developed by Q2 2025. We will also launch training for our managers in 2025, so they are better equipped to support employees with disabilities.
3.2 The Built Environment
We have committed to several goals relating to the built environment at CN. These involve facilities like office buildings, railyards, and repair facilities. Our work to reduce barriers to accessibility within these facilities must therefore be inclusive. Below are the goals we have committed that relate to the built environment, and updates on the progress we have made in achieving these goals.
3.2.1 Over the next 3 years, CN will review and update our emergency evacuation plans and share them with all employees. The updated procedures will include instructions for what people with disabilities should do in the event of an emergency.
In 2024, we updated the evacuation video for CN’s Montreal head office to include a section for persons with reduced mobility with detailed evacuation steps and locations. This video was shared with all employees located at our Montreal head office. We also updated our emergency evacuation posters which are now displayed in every conference room at our Montreal head office.
We also created the CN “Go Bag”, also featured in our video, which is meant to be used for personal items during an emergency evacuation. The Go Bag was distributed to all employees at our Montreal head office, as well as tenants and consultants. The bag includes an insert with a QR code for more information on CN’s evacuation procedures.
3.2.2 Starting in June 2025, CN commits to making sure that all the new buildings we build, acquire, or lease will be as accessible as possible. We will consider accessibility through all stages of planning, procuring, designing, and building the new location. We will also make sure that accessibility is a primary consideration anytime we do a major renovation in one of our existing locations.
In May 2024, we announced the relocation of CN’s new headquarter building in Montreal at 600 de la Gauchetière Street West. The design of our new building is keeping accessibility in mind with considerations such as: larger accessible washrooms, touchless technology, braille and tactile signage in elevators, adjustable desks and workstations, and evacuation plans that consider people with reduced mobility.
In addition, more than thirty-two (32) facilities across Canada, including restrooms and change rooms, have been upgraded with accessibility improvements. These upgrades include wheelchair-accessible restrooms with spacious stalls and grab bars, ramps and automatic doors for easier access, and clear pathways for emergency exits for safe movement.
In 2024, we also completed the construction of a new bunk house in Prince Rupert to support our train crew when they are away from home. The building was designed with 40 rooms (including washroom, bed, gym and kitchen for over 50 people) and included similar accessibility requirements, including accessible parking spaces.
As shown from CN’s progress related to the built environment, we are applying accessibility guidelines for all new facilities and major renovations across our network.
3.3 Employment
CN is proud to be a major employer in Canada, and we have approximately 18,000 employees across the country. Around five percent of our employees self-identify as having a disability, and we are committed to making sure they feel safe and supported at work. We want CN to be an inclusive workplace that attracts employees with diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities, and we want to make the job application and hiring processes more accessible. Below are our goals that relate to employment at CN, and updates on the progress we have made in achieving these goals.
3.3.1 By the end of June 2023, CN will update our statement on our career website and make sure that it appears in all job postings.
As stated in CN’s Progress Report last year, we added the following statement to our Career webpage “Join the CN Team” to better include the disability community and express our commitment to accessibility:
“If you require an accommodation for the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials, accessible meeting rooms or other accommodations), please reach out to our team at cnrecruitment@cn.ca.”
We will also add this statement to all our job postings when we launch our new Human Resources Information System (HRIS) in 2026.
3.3.2 By June 2024, CN will improve our process for employee self-identification and reporting. This is the process we use to find out how many people in our workforce have a disability. We will make improvements to this process by making sure employees know why we are asking these questions, telling employees what will be done with the information, and making sure employees know that their information is confidential. We will also make sure that we give opportunities for employees to self-identify multiple times.
As part of a campaign CN launched in October 2024, we encouraged all employees to complete our voluntary self-identification (VSID) form. This annual campaign allows us to collect updated information on the composition of our workforce, including individuals with disabilities. As part of our annual campaign, we explain our commitment to employees on maintaining confidentiality and why these disclosures are important. CN also encourages new hires to complete our voluntary self-identification form through the onboarding process.
We plan to launch a targeted campaign in 2025 with a focus on engaging our union-represented workforce to improve the response rates for this group and obtain more accurate workforce data.
3.3.3 We have plans to replace our careers website (where people can find and apply for jobs) with a new one. This is a big project that will take many years, and we do not have an exact timeline yet. When we redesign this website, we will consult with a digital accessibility expert to make sure that the new site is accessible.
This project involves several departments including Communications, I&T, and Human Resources. We have started to work on this goal by determining who will be responsible for the different aspects of this project, and by planning how we will accomplish this task. We will also consider the proposed federal digital accessibility regulations on web applications as we redesign our careers website.
3.3.4 Starting immediately, whenever we design or acquire new training material, CN will take steps to make sure the new materials are as accessible as possible.
When developing new training material, we do follow accessibility guidelines in line with WCAG 2.0 accessibility standards. In 2024, CN’s Learning and Development team focused on understanding the requirements under these digital accessibility guidelines and we standardized all new non-technical training that was created.
We are also auditing our existing training material throughout 2025 to identify any accessibility issues and to ensure that all learners, including individuals with disabilities, can access and benefit from the training materials. Our main goals are to improve employees’ learning experiences, modernize training programs and ensure our training materials are accessible to everyone.
3.3.5 By June 2025, CN will conduct a review of our existing accommodation guidelines and processes for employees with disabilities. Based on this review, CN will make recommendations on how to improve our guidelines and processes.
We put together a cross-functional team in 2024 that involved members from multiple CN departments, including Human Resources, Labour Relations, Benefits, Safety, Operations, and Workers’ Compensation. This team reviewed CN’s existing accommodation guidelines and processes for employees with disabilities and employees requesting an accommodation related to other protected grounds. In January 2025, the task force submitted their recommendations to Human Resources for their review.
3.4 Information and Communications Technology (ICT)
At CN, we rely on many different technologies and digital systems to keep our Company running. We have committed to considering accessibility when we buy or set up new technologies, and when we update our existing ones. Below are the goals that we have committed to that relate to ICT, and updates on the progress we have made in achieving these goals.
3.4.1 3.4.1 Starting immediately, we will consider accessibility whenever we purchase a new Information & Technology (I&T) product. We will make sure that off-the-shelf products have built-in accessibility features and that anything we design in-house is built to be as accessible as possible.
Our I&T department continued to work with our Procurement and Supply Management department to include accessibility in our purchasing processes. We include accessibility requirements when we put out Requests for Proposals, and accessibility is part of our evaluation criteria when we are choosing vendors and I&T products. We also communicate our commitment to accessibility to our vendors, and use our updated processes to assess how products meet our accessibility requirements.
We consider this goal to be completed since accessibility requirements have been fully documented and engrained into our procurement process.
3.4.2 By June 2024, CN will roll out digital accessibility training for I&T staff that is specific to their job functions. For example, all I&T staff will receive digital accessibility awareness training, while Product Managers and User Experience (UX) Designers will receive more detailed training.
In 2024, CN’s I&T department developed and launched digital accessibility training for employees that work with technology, focusing on CN’s accessibility requirements for software development. Our I&T department will also deliver two refresher training sessions in 2025 for additional members of the team, ensuring that accessibility awareness continues to grow across the department.
We consider this goal to be completed since digital accessibility training has been delivered to employees that work with technology.
3.4.3 3.4.3 By June 2026, CN will redesign our public website with accessibility as a primary goal. We will prioritize accessibility throughout the entire design process, by including accessibility requirements in our procurement process and involving accessibility specialists in the project. We will also make sure we consult with people with disabilities, such as employees, to give feedback on the design.
We are making steady progress on this long-term project of redesigning CN's public website. Our Communications team is currently in the process of selecting a vendor to assist with the website redesign. Accessibility continues to be a top priority throughout the implementation of this project, and it is a key factor in our vendor selection.
3.5 Communication, Other than ICT
We are committed to making sure that all our communications are accessible, especially those that are aimed at the public. It is important to us that everyone can access and understand our content, especially because our content often contains important safety information about Canada’s railways. Below are our goals relating to communication other than ICT, and updates on the progress we have made in achieving these goals.
3.5.1 Starting immediately, CN will publish documents in HTML format wherever possible. When we must publish documents in PDF format, we will take steps to make sure those PDF documents are accessible.
CN published more content in HTML format on our website in 2024, decreasing our use of the PDF file format. When we post content on our website, we are transitioning to HTML files instead of PDF wherever possible, since PDF format can be harder to access with assistive technology.
3.5.2 By June 2024, CN will add accessibility practices to the existing corporate branding guide to make sure that all communications include accessibility considerations. This will apply to both internal communications within CN and external communications like our social media posts. We will train our employees on these new guidelines and make sure that everyone who creates communications is aware of best practices for accessible communications.
We have added accessibility into the corporate branding guidelines for all CN’s communications channels, including social media. We have also added accessibility as one of our measures of performance that we use to assess the effectiveness of our communications. We have also provided training for employees working in our Communications team to ensure that they are up to date on these requirements.
We consider this goal to be completed since accessibility requirements have been incorporated into our internal and external communication practices.
3.5.3 By June 2024, CN will review all diversity content on CN's public website and make sure our messaging is consistent and clearly includes people with disabilities.
CN is making progress in including people with disabilities in our public messaging. In 2025, we added a new page on our careers website to highlight career opportunities at CN, including support for veterans, reservists and candidates with military experience. We also included an image of a person with a disability in the promotional materials for our CN Wellness Challenge. In addition, when ESDC (Employment and Social Development Canada) launched their new Pay Gap Reporting Tool, Equi’Vision, in 2024, we included an image of people with disabilities in our video and web story submissions.
We also published CN’s first Accessibility Plan on our website on May 31, 2023, and our annual Progress Reports in May 2024 and May 2025. These reports show the public the progress we are making in achieving our accessibility goals.
Our Communications team is continuing the process of reviewing our public messaging to find more opportunities to align our messaging and public content with goals of accessibility and inclusion.
3.6 The Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities
Some of the goods and services that we procure, or buy, at CN do not require us to consider accessibility. These include goods like fuel, or utilities like water. For other purchases we make, like technology or office furniture, we need to do better in considering accessibility. Below is the goal we have set relating to procurement, and an update on the progress we have made in achieving it.
3.6.1 By June 2024, CN's procurement team will learn about how accessibility should be considered in procurement. This will include learning about when and how accessibility should be considered in the procurement process. Once we have a good understanding of best practice related to accessible procurement, we will make changes to our procurement procedures and documentation to reflect those best practices.
In 2024, CN’s Procurement team sought expert advice on how to include accessibility considerations in our procurement process, starting with the I&T portfolio. We incorporated a question in our Request for Proposal for I&T hardware and software to assess accessibility for those with disabilities, including visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Responses to this question contribute to the assessment of our vendors.
We also reached out to other departments in our organization to determine where accessibility should be considered in the procurement of goods and services so that it becomes part of our requirements when a Request for Proposal is provided to vendors.
Moving forward, we plan to continuously learn about how accessibility can be part of our procurement considerations through webinars, expert advice, and training in key areas such as information and communication technologies (ICT).
3.7 The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
In our Accessibility Plan, we set two goals related to the ways we design and deliver our services, especially those that are aimed at the public. We want to make sure that people with disabilities are included in our advertisements and on our website. This is part of our broader goal of making sure that people with disabilities feel welcome and included at CN. The goals we have set are:
3.7.1 By June 2026, CN will seek opportunities to include people with disabilities in future advertising campaigns.
3.7.2 By June 2026, CN will consider having a section of the new website that is clearly for the public. This section of the website will be written in plain language and will include important safety information, contact information, and any other information that the public might need to know. This section will be linked prominently from the home page.
CN’s recruitment campaigns have made strides in including under-represented groups (such as veterans) which strengthens our commitment to accessible and inclusive advertising. In 2025, we launched a page for military recruitment on CN’s careers website. This recruitment campaign highlighted CN’s commitment to build a workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We also highlighted CN’s Veterans Employee Resource Group (ERG) which provides opportunities for networking and internal discussions on issues important to our veteran communities.
CN was also a proud partner of the 2025 Invictus Games held in Vancouver, British Columbia from February 8 to 16, 2025. This event featured up to 550 competitors from 25 nations, competing in adaptive sports, including new winter sports like Alpine Skiing and Snowboarding, and Wheelchair Curling, as well as core Invictus Games sports like Indoor Rowing, Sitting Volleyball, Swimming, Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Basketball. The Invictus Games is an international multi-sport event for wounded, injured, and sick service personnel and Veterans.
As we move forward with the redesign of CN's public website, we are considering providing key safety information, contact details, and other important resources for the public. The structure of this section will be simplified, making it easy for the public to access important information.
3.8 Transportation
We have not set specific accessibility goals for our organization that fall under the area of transportation. While we are a transportation company, we focus on transporting goods rather than people. We are not aware of any barriers to accessibility that exist in this area for our Company, but we will continue to monitor feedback we receive from employees and from the public.
4. Consultations
On March 17, 2025, we sent out an anonymous online survey to all our employees across Canada. The survey was voluntary, and employees could choose to complete it in English or French. We asked questions about how employees view CN’s Accessibility Plan, their opinions on our progress in achieving our accessibility goals, and whether they had any other ideas for how we can make our workplace more accessible. Employees also had the opportunity to anonymously disclose whether they live with a disability, or whether they are close to someone in their lives who has a disability.
We received 395 responses to our survey. We added a new question in our 2025 survey where we asked employees how they would rate CN’s progress towards the goals outlined in our Accessibility Plan. Sixty-two percent (62%) of employees who responded rated our progress as “good” or “excellent”. Employees also pointed out specific barriers and challenges that exist at their workplaces. Examples included poor air quality in certain facilities and buildings that do not have automatic door openers. Finally, they submitted ideas and recommendations for how we can achieve our goal of making CN’s workplace more accessible. These included improving CN’s accommodation process, providing support on mental health, and improving our physical work environment. We will incorporate this feedback as we continue to work toward our accessibility goals.
5. Feedback
We have not yet received any feedback about accessibility through our feedback mechanism. We imagine this is because the general public does not interact with us often, and so most of the feedback we receive related to accessibility comes from our employees. We will continue to invite employees and members of the public to submit feedback on our Accessibility Plan and on our Progress Report. More information about how to submit feedback is shared in section 2.3 of this report.
6. Conclusion
As a publicly-traded corporation and large employer in Canada, we are committed to creating an inclusive environment that is open, welcoming and accessible to everyone. Making our organization accessible to people with disabilities, whether they work for us or are members of the public, is a big part of ensuring that CN lives up to these values. CN is committed to identifying and removing barriers to accessibility across all areas of our organization. We are proud to have made great progress over the past two years in meeting our accessibility goals. We have also learned a lot about how we can reduce or eliminate more barriers within our organization. We look forward to sharing further updates as we continue to work toward our goals.