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https://www.canada.ca

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
55
GRADE
D
FIX
6
REVIEW
2
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 2 REVIEW 6 FIX
F
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 403, bare page
FIX
HTTP 403, bare page
Warning::
Unexpected status code: HTTP 403
Expected HTTP 404 but received 403. This may confuse search engine crawlers.
Got: HTTP 403
Warning::
Bare server default 404 page
The 404 page has no custom styling. Users hitting a broken link see a generic error with no way to navigate back. Add a custom 404 page with your site navigation and a search bar.
404 Page Quality Default 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 403 Page Title Access Denied Custom Styling Navigation Homepage Link Search Form
F
Favicon & Branding
Action
1 icon(s) detected
FIX
1 icon(s) detected
Warning::
No favicon.ico at site root
Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
No apple-touch-icon detected
iOS devices use this when users add your site to their home screen. Add <link rel='apple-touch-icon' sizes='180x180' href='/apple-touch-icon.png'>.
favicon.ico Missing
PNG Icons Present
Apple Touch Missing
SVG Favicon Missing
Manifest Icons Missing
Multiple Sizes Missing
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
No web manifest found
No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected
color-scheme meta Not set Dark theme-color Not set CSS indicators Not detected

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
No print-specific styles detected
When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.
Print Stylesheet No Print Styles
Print stylesheet Not found Inline @media print Not detected
F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
0 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
C
Landmark Structure
Action
1 landmarks
REVIEW
1 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Warning::
No <nav> landmark found
Info::
No banner (header) landmark
Info::
No contentinfo (footer) landmark
Warning::
Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER (missing!) MAIN CONTENTINFO (missing!)

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
10 text elements analyzed, 6 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

4 pass 6 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only
h2 Gouvernement du Canada
2.94:1
#000000
on
#315D72
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a English
2.82:1
#000000
on
#275A78
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a Français
2.80:1
#000000
on
#2E5A6E
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Terms & conditions
2.65:1
#000000
on
#20576D
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Avis
2.73:1
#000000
on
#215970
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
span Symbole du gouvernement du Canada
3.03:1
#000000
on
#286077
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold

2 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (10)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Canada.ca8.96:13.0:1
#000000
#98ABC4
Pass
h2 Government of Canada12.27:13.0:1
#000000
#BAC8D1
Pass
h2 Gouvernement du Cana…2.94:13.0:1
#000000
#315D72
Fail
title Canada.ca6.92:14.5:1
#000000
#7F96B3
Pass
span Gouvernement du Cana…13.85:14.5:1
#000000
#CAD3DB
Pass
a English2.82:14.5:1
#000000
#275A78
Fail
a Français2.80:14.5:1
#000000
#2E5A6E
Fail
a Terms & conditions2.65:14.5:1
#000000
#20576D
Fail
a Avis2.73:14.5:1
#000000
#215970
Fail
span Symbole du gouvernem…3.03:14.5:1
#000000
#286077
Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A+
Heading Hierarchy
3 headings
PASS
3 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 Canada.ca
  • H2 Government of Canada
  • H2 Gouvernement du Canada
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 8 images OK
PASS
All 8 images OK
Info::
6 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
2 image(s) with good alt text
8 images 2 good alt text 6 decorative
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Form Accessibility
No form controls
PASS
No form controls
Info::
No form controls on this page
No form controls found.
A+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 100/100 — 0 failing, 12 passed
PASS
100

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
The page has a logical tab order
Visual order on the page follows DOM order
User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
Custom controls have associated labels
Custom controls have ARIA roles
`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio
Document has a `<title>` element
`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
Links have a discernible name
Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
Document has a main landmark.
`[accesskey]` values are unique
`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
ARIA input fields have accessible names
ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
`[role]` values are valid
Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
Buttons have an accessible name
The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
ARIA IDs are unique
No form fields have multiple labels
`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
Input buttons have discernible text.
`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
Form elements have associated labels
Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
`<object>` elements have alternate text
Select elements have associated label elements.
Skip links are focusable.
No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
All heading elements contain content.
Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
Identical links have the same purpose.
Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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