Canada.cacanada.ca
Accessibility Score
Issues Found
Issues Found
Passed Audits
<html> element must have a lang attribute1 element
Screen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
<html> element must have a valid value for the lang attribute1 element
Screen readers use language-specific sound libraries for proper pronunciation. Invalid language attributes cause screen readers to use the wrong library, making text sound like a confusing accent or completely unintelligible, especially for multilingual users who access content in multiple languages.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
All page content should be contained by landmarks31 elements
Content should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.
Audit Elements
<div id="bg" data-wb-randomize="{"shuffle":true, "selector": "img", "toggle": "hide" }" class="wb-init wb-randomize-inited"><img class="" src="/content/dam/canada/splash/sp-bg-4.jpg" alt="">
<main property="mainContentOfPage" resource="#wb-main" typeof="WebPageElement">
<div class="sp-hb">
<div class="sp-bx col-xs-12">
<h1 property="name" class="wb-inv">Canada.ca</h1>
<div class="row">
<div class="col-xs-11 col-md-8" property="publisher" resource="#wb-publisher" typeof="GovernmentOrganization">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/sig-blk-en.svg" alt="Government of Canada" property="logo" width="283">
<span class="wb-inv"> / <span lang="fr">Gouvernement du Canada</span></span>
Showing first 10 of 31 audited elements.
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as text3 elements
Duplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.
Audit Elements
<img class="" src="/content/dam/canada/splash/sp-bg-4.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/sig-blk-en.svg" alt="Government of Canada" property="logo" width="283">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/wmms-blk.svg" width="127" alt="Symbol of the Government of Canada">
ARIA role should be appropriate for the element1 element
Invalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.
Audit Elements
<iframe src="javascript:void(0)" title="" role="presentation" style="width: 0px; height: 0px; border: 0px; display: none;"></iframe>
aria-hidden="true" must not be present on the document body1 element
Setting <body aria-hidden="true" hides all page content from assistive technologies while leaving it visible on screen. This creates a confusing experience where keyboard users can still tab to elements, but screen readers remain completely silent, providing no information about what's focused.
Audit Elements
<body class="splash" vocab="http://schema.org/" typeof="WebPage" resource="#wb-webpage">
Document should have one main landmark1 element
Every page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Document should not have more than one main landmark1 element
Multiple main landmarks confuse screen reader users about where the primary content is located. Each page should have only one main landmark so users can quickly and predictably navigate to the primary content area.
Audit Elements
<main property="mainContentOfPage" resource="#wb-main" typeof="WebPageElement">
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigation1 element
The page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignored1 element
Elements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.
Audit Elements
<img class="" src="/content/dam/canada/splash/sp-bg-4.jpg" alt="">
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds4 elements
People with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.
Audit Elements
<a href="/en.html" class="btn btn-primary" translate="no">English</a>
<a href="/fr.html" class="btn btn-primary" translate="no">Français</a>
<a href="/en/transparency/terms.html" class="sp-lk">Terms & conditions</a>
<a href="/fr/transparence/avis.html" class="sp-lk" lang="fr">Avis</a>
Heading levels should only increase by one3 elements
Headings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.
Audit Elements
<h1 property="name" class="wb-inv">Canada.ca</h1>
<h2 class="wb-inv">Government of Canada</h2>
<h2 class="wb-inv">Gouvernement du Canada</h2>
Headings should not be empty3 elements
Screen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.
Audit Elements
<h1 property="name" class="wb-inv">Canada.ca</h1>
<h2 class="wb-inv">Government of Canada</h2>
<h2 class="wb-inv">Gouvernement du Canada</h2>
Images must have alternative text3 elements
Screen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.
Audit Elements
<img class="" src="/content/dam/canada/splash/sp-bg-4.jpg" alt="">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/sig-blk-en.svg" alt="Government of Canada" property="logo" width="283">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/wmms-blk.svg" width="127" alt="Symbol of the Government of Canada">
Interactive controls must not be nested2 elements
Nested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.
Audit Elements
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/sig-blk-en.svg" alt="Government of Canada" property="logo" width="283">
<img src="/etc/designs/canada/wet-boew/assets/wmms-blk.svg" width="127" alt="Symbol of the Government of Canada">
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combination1 element
Each landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.
Audit Elements
<main property="mainContentOfPage" resource="#wb-main" typeof="WebPageElement">
lang attribute must have a valid value4 elements
Screen readers use language-specific pronunciation libraries that must match the content's language. Invalid language declarations cause screen readers to use the wrong pronunciation library, making content sound confusing or unintelligible, especially for multilingual users who access content in multiple languages.
Audit Elements
<span lang="fr">Gouvernement du Canada</span>
<section class="col-xs-6" lang="fr"> <h2 class="wb-inv">Gouvernement du Canada</h2> <p><a href="/fr.html" class="btn btn-primary" translate="no">Français</a></p> </section>
<a href="/fr/transparence/avis.html" class="sp-lk" lang="fr">Avis</a>
<span lang="fr">Symbole du gouvernement du Canada</span>
Links must have discernible text4 elements
Keyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.
Audit Elements
<a href="/en.html" class="btn btn-primary" translate="no">English</a>
<a href="/fr.html" class="btn btn-primary" translate="no">Français</a>
<a href="/en/transparency/terms.html" class="sp-lk">Terms & conditions</a>
<a href="/fr/transparence/avis.html" class="sp-lk" lang="fr">Avis</a>
Main landmark should not be contained in another landmark1 element
The main landmark must be at the top level and not nested inside other landmarks. This ensures screen reader users can quickly navigate to the primary content without searching through complex hierarchy, making page navigation simpler and more predictable.
Audit Elements
<main property="mainContentOfPage" resource="#wb-main" typeof="WebPageElement">
Page must have means to bypass repeated blocks1 element
Keyboard-only users must tab through all navigation and header content before reaching the main content, which can take several minutes and cause physical pain for users with motor limitations. Bypass mechanisms like skip links allow these users to jump directly to main content, saving time and reducing fatigue.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Page should contain a level-one heading1 element
Screen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.
Audit Elements
<html class="js backgroundsize borderimage csstransitions fontface svg details progressbar meter mathml cors largeview" lang="en" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
Users should be able to zoom and scale the text up to 500%1 element
The user-scalable="no" and restrictive maximum-scale parameters prevent people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who rely on browser zoom to enlarge text are blocked from accessing content at a readable size, violating their need to scale pages up to 5x zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1" name="viewport">
Zooming and scaling must not be disabled1 element
Setting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.
Audit Elements
<meta content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1" name="viewport">