Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms issues anti-racism statement
By Adnews Staff
The Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms has released a statement in which a number of Canadian PR agencies commit to take action against racism, discrimination and inequity inside the public relations industry and in its work. Participating agencies include Apex PR, Argyle, Broad Reach Communications, Casacom, Citizen Relations, Edelman Canada, Energi PR, GCI Canada, Hill & Knowlton Strategies Canada, Media Profile, Paradigm, Proof Strategies and Strategic Objectives.
In the statement the signatories commit to fostering a more diverse leadership at PR firms, to audit their recruitment process to improve diverse representation, to provide training for staff on dealing with bias and encourage mentoring, to advocate for diversity with clients, to undertake philanthropic activities, and to set benchmarks to measure their success or failure.
“This commitment flows from overdue self-reflection, conversations with employees and experts, and a determination for purposeful, sustained and strategic action to advance equity and fight racism,” said Daniel Tisch, CEO of Argyle Public Relationships.. “By bringing competitors together to collaborate to fight racism, we aim to get greater scale, impact and change.”