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When we talk about digital accessibility in Québec, one acronym keeps coming up: SGQRI 008. Behind this rather technical name lies a real story of mobilization, transformation, and collective awareness. In barely 15 years, this standard has evolved from an HTML “recipe book” into a lever for digital inclusion and an overall driver of quality for online experiences.
In this post, we’ll look back at that evolution, at what makes Québec different from other Canadian jurisdictions, and especially at what this means in concrete terms for public organizations and their private‑sector partners.
Where it all began: from advocacy to the first standards
To understand how SGQRI 008 came about, we need to go back to the late 2000s. The web was taking on more and more importance in daily life, but a large share of websites and online services remained difficult to use—or completely inaccessible—for people with disabilities.
Behind the first version of the standard, published in 2011, there was first and foremost a major effort of awareness‑raising and advocacy by disability rights organizations, including the Institut Nazareth et Louis‑Braille. These organizations reminded the government of an often‑overlooked truth: if public services move online, they must be accessible to everyone; otherwise, we’re simply shifting and amplifying existing barriers.
At the same time, digital accessibility pioneers were starting to organize. As early as 2007, for example, an accessibility study of the 200 most popular websites in Québec was carried out by the AccessibilitéWeb cooperative. For several specialists who took part, this project was a true professional turning point: they saw just how powerful a driver of inclusion digital could be—provided it’s designed for everyone.
It’s in this context that the first version of SGQRI 008 was created, split into three complementary parts:
- 008‑01, for website accessibility;
- 008‑02, for downloadable documents (PDF, Word, etc.);
- 008‑03, for multimedia (audio and video).
This first release was highly prescriptive. It imposed specific HTML development techniques and spelled out, line by line, how to code templates, tables, forms, and so on. The goal was clear: to frame the first government websites so they wouldn’t become yet another source of exclusion for people who are blind or have low vision, people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, or people with motor or cognitive disabilities.
At that point, the logic was still very focused on “technical compliance.” You checked boxes and followed recipes. But an important idea was already starting to take hold across the public service: an online service that isn’t accessible… isn’t really a public service.
From recipe to outcome: the rise of SGQRI 008
The web evolves quickly, and so do assistive technologies. New use cases appear (mobile, touch, rich web applications), and the W3C updates its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which serve as a global reference.
In Québec, a tension emerged: the first version of SGQRI 008, being so technical, was becoming hard to maintain. Following it to the letter sometimes meant implementing techniques that had become obsolete in modern HTML. Meanwhile, WCAG already proposed a more flexible, outcome‑based approach, focused on what needs to be possible for users rather than on the precise technical means.
Version 2.0 of SGQRI 008, published in 2018, addressed this. It:
- simplified the standard by removing most of the detailed technical prescriptions;
- kept WCAG 2.0 as its main reference, with a target compliance level of AA;
- expanded the number of organizations covered, bringing in more government entities than the first version.
This evolution marked an important shift. It was no longer just about “writing compliant HTML”: the goal now was to guarantee accessible outcomes—that is, experiences that actually work for people with different kinds of disabilities. It also made it easier to maintain the standard: when WCAG evolves, the Québec standard can follow more quickly, without having to rewrite dozens of very specific techniques.
Version 3.0: a mature standard aligned with WCAG 2.2
The publication of SGQRI 008 version 3.0, in effect since 2024, marks another major milestone. This time, it’s not just about catching up technically: Québec is clearly positioning itself as a Canadian leader in alignment with international standards.
Three aspects are especially significant.
1. Much broader scope
Version 3.0 confirms that the standard applies to the entire digital ecosystem of a public body, not just a few flagship pages:
- informational and transactional websites;
- intranets and extranets;
- online forms;
- downloadable documents;
- multimedia content.
In other words, accessibility can no longer be limited to an “Accessibility” section or a polished home page. It must permeate all of an organization’s digital services.
2. Up‑to‑date alignment with WCAG—and even a bit beyond
While many Canadian jurisdictions are still tied to WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, version 3.0 of SGQRI 008 is based on WCAG 2.2, the latest version available when it was released. It brings in new criteria that strengthen:
- the consistency and discoverability of help mechanisms;
- reduction of redundant data entry;
- visibility of keyboard focus;
- consideration of certain cognitive needs;
- the experience on mobile and across varied interfaces.
The target compliance level remains AA, internationally recognized as an ambitious yet realistic goal. Some AAA‑level criteria, considered essential (for example, limiting flashing content that can trigger seizures), are also explicitly highlighted.
3. Clearer organizational responsibility
Version 3.0 doesn’t just talk about code and templates. It also focuses on processes and internal governance. It includes requirements related to:
- regular accessibility audits;
- updating the “Accessibility” page;
- promptly fixing non‑conformities;
- planning when urgent content must go live before meeting all requirements;
- mechanisms enabling people with disabilities to report problems or request alternatives.
We’re moving away from a view where accessibility is “the integrators’ problem” toward one where the whole organization shares responsibility: decision‑makers, project teams, vendors, content owners, and more.
Québec at the leading edge… but not in every respect
From a strictly normative point of view, Québec is a clear front‑runner in Canada. Having a public standard already aligned with WCAG 2.2 means being well equipped to stay relevant as digital use cases grow more complex and citizens’ expectations rise.
But accessibility is not just about how advanced your standard is.
When we compare Québec to other provinces like Ontario or Manitoba, an important contrast emerges. Those provinces have adopted more coercive legislative frameworks that include the private sector and provide mechanisms for enforcement, reporting, and, in some cases, penalties.
In Québec, SGQRI 008 is very advanced technically and conceptually, but it mainly applies to public bodies. Large private companies—though central to daily life (banks, telecoms, transportation, retail, etc.)—are not yet covered to the same extent.
The result: we can say that Québec leads on the standards side, but not necessarily when it comes to lived accessibility across all the digital touchpoints people rely on. To truly move forward, these requirements will eventually need to extend beyond the public sector.
Accessibility: much more than a “minority issue”
A persistent myth suggests that accessibility is a “nice to have” for a small portion of the population. The numbers tell a different story.
Official data indicates that just over one in five people report having a disability. In practice, this figure is almost certainly an underestimate. It doesn’t account for:
- temporary disabilities (broken arm, eye strain, concussion, etc.);
- situational limitations (noisy environments, harsh lighting, unstable connection, mobile use, etc.);
- people who choose not to disclose their disability because of the stigma that still surrounds the term.
In reality, everyone benefits from digital accessibility. Higher contrast helps people with low vision—but also anyone checking their phone in bright sunlight. Captions are essential for people who are Deaf—but they’re just as useful when watching a video in a noisy space or without headphones. Clear keyboard navigation is vital for some users—but it also speeds up work for power users who prefer not to take their hands off the keyboard.
In other words, investing in accessibility isn’t about doing a favour for a tiny group. It’s about improving overall experience, reducing friction for everyone, and making services more robust in the face of diverse usage contexts.
From compliance to culture: what SGQRI 008 changes inside organizations
The evolution of SGQRI 008 also tells another story: the story of a cultural shift within Québec’s public organizations.
Initially, accessibility is often seen as an extra constraint—a checklist to complete at the end of a project, sometimes in a rush. Over time, and across the standard’s different versions, a new mindset has taken root: accessibility as a quality criterion, built in from the start.
In concrete terms, this means:
- naming internal accessibility leads or champions;
- ongoing training for teams (UX, development, content, project management);
- including accessibility criteria in RFPs and contracts with vendors;
- integrating accessibility checks in every new feature or redesign;
- using regular audits (both automated and manual) to track progress.
For external partners—agencies, developers, designers, integrators—the message is just as clear. Delivering a site that doesn’t meet SGQRI 008 is no longer simply “missing a detail”: it’s exposing a public‑sector client to legal risk and undermining their ability to deliver on their public mission.
In short, accessibility is becoming a marker of professionalism. A government web project that ignores it is increasingly hard to justify—legally, ethically, or strategically.
A deeply human (and strategic) issue
Beyond standards, sections, and timelines, digital accessibility ultimately comes down to a very simple question: who gets to access what.
As one accessibility specialist likes to remind clients, choosing not to make a platform accessible is, in effect, choosing to actively exclude certain people. It means saying: “We don’t want you to use our services, to read our content, to have access to the same information as others.”
Few organizations would ever say that out loud. Yet it’s the real‑world consequence of design decisions that overlook accessibility.
In a Québec where everyday life is increasingly digital—from appointments and tax filings to banking, immigration procedures, culture, and more—leaving part of the population behind isn’t just unfair; it’s also short‑sighted. Organizations lose out on customers and users, on talent, on civic participation, and on trust in institutions.
Digital accessibility should therefore be seen as:
- a social imperative, to avoid a digital divide that reproduces existing inequalities;
- a business opportunity, to reach more people and improve user experience;
- a marker of digital maturity, for organizations that take human diversity and real‑world usage conditions seriously.
What’s next? A permanent work in progress
The story of SGQRI 008 makes one thing very clear: an accessibility standard can never be frozen in time. Devices evolve, habits change, and new interaction modes emerge (voice, gestures, augmented reality, AI). Social expectations evolve too.
With the adoption of version 3.0, based on WCAG 2.2, Québec is sending a clear message: accessibility is not a box to be checked once and for all, but a permanent work in progress.
We can expect future iterations of the standard to dig deeper into issues such as:
- better support for cognitive diversity;
- more customizable interfaces;
- adaptation to new human‑computer interfaces;
- stronger requirements for complex ecosystems (applications, interconnected services, etc.).
For public organizations and their partners alike, the takeaway is straightforward: accessibility shouldn’t be handled as a one‑off “project,” but as an ongoing investment—just like security, performance, or privacy.
In the end, SGQRI 008 is much more than a set of technical rules. It’s the backbone of a Québec web that aims to be truly public: a space where every person, disabled or not, can access the same services and the same information without unnecessary barriers. That’s where the promise of a digital society that works for everyone becomes real.
To go further
If accessibility is a priority for you as well, here a resources to help you along:
- An SGQRI checklist
- Our ebook on the digital lifecycle of accessibility
- Want to discuss your project? We'd love to hear all about it!