Argyle has a longstanding commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion. We stand firmly against systemic racism and injustice. And we are committed to reconciliation with Indigenous peoples and communities.
Our values & client work
Inclusion is one of our values – and we bring it to life all year round in our work across Canada. This reflects the expertise we have built, and the clients we seek to serve. For example, we take pride in:
- Our leadership of public engagement and communications on the Ontario Anti-Racism Strategy and the Ontario Poverty Reduction Strategy
- Our award-winning program to educate Canadians and help achieve justice for survivors of the Sixties Scoop, a dark chapter in Canadian history in which Indigenous children were taken from their families and cultures
- Our public health work in partnership with Indigenous communities in Canada’s North
- The models we have built for the inclusive engagement of diverse and marginalized communities
Our team
Argyle consciously aims for recruitment from the most diverse candidate pool possible. We value diversity in our hiring because we understand how diverse viewpoints and cultural experiences contribute to our depth of knowledge, breadth of ideas and grasp of the issues, people and organizations we serve.
Our highly diverse workforce is a source of strength and pride to us, particularly in our large and growing number of emerging leaders. We also recognize that despite having visible-minority ownership, gender balance in management, and a diverse employee base, our leadership team is less diverse today than we aspire to be tomorrow. That is why every senior team member pursues training and ongoing education on equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigenous reconciliation.
Our corporate social investment
For many years, Argyle’s corporate social investment program has focused on supporting a healthier, more equitable and more sustainable society. Argyle’s recent commitments include:
- Argyle Community Day: An annual day of pro-bono training and consulting from our communications, creative and engagement professionals for non-profits with mandates or programs related to equity or anti-racism. In 2020 and 2021 combined, we provided an estimated $400,000 in pro-bono services to more than 100 non-profits.
- Scholarships for Indigenous and Black PR students: Argyle was a founding donor to CPRS Foundation scholarships for Indigenous and Black students, respectively, studying public relations at a recognized college or university.
- Bursary for Indigenous business students at Queen’s University: Argyle has supported a bursary fund established by our CEO to provide financial assistance to Indigenous students studying commerce, economics or public policy at Queen’s University.
- Scholarship for racialized PR students at Humber College: Argyle has funded a three-year scholarship awarded to a racialized student the first year of the acclaimed Humber Bachelor of Public Relations degree program.
- Pro-bono services to support Indigenous reconciliation: In honour of Canada’s first National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Argyle has supplemented its work for the Athabasca Tribal Council with pro-bono services to support the Orange Path movement.
Our future
As a small business with a large voice in our industry, we are on a journey from what began as an intuitive, values-based commitment to EDI and anti-racism to one that is more systemic and strategic. We played a leading role in creating and launching the Canadian public relations consulting industry’s Anti-Racism, Diversity & Inclusion Commitment, which also serves as the framework for action within our firm, and in our client work, advocacy, thought leadership, and social investment.
We seek to understand and dismantle the barriers that confront people from historically underrepresented and marginalized communities, advocating for action through the Arthur W. Page Society, the Canadian Council of Public Relations Firms, the Canadian Public Relations Society, and the Global Alliance for Public Relations & Communication Management.