Establishment of a New Industry Association for Research Agencies

—Joint Statement by the Heads of Canada’s Largest Market and Survey Research Firms—

TORONTO, August 31, 2018—On August 30, the CEOs of some of Canada’s largest market and survey research firms held the inaugural meeting of a new industry association for market and survey research agencies and industry partners.

The leadership of Environics Research, Ipsos Canada, Leger, Nanos Research, EKOS Research Associates, Corporate Research Associates, CRC Research and Canadian Viewpoint attended a planning meeting in Ottawa, where the decision was made to immediately establish the new association.

The association’s primary mandate will be to act as the standard-bearer for quality research and world-leading industry standards, and ensuring that member firms conduct research that is rooted in a foundation of rigorous and ethical data collection. Its scope will include advocacy on regulatory and legislative matters, the continuation of the Survey Registration System, and the upholding of the Canadian Charter of Respondent Rights.

“We have a rare opportunity here to start fresh as an emerging industry association and to set a really high bar,” said Don Mills, Chairman and CEO of Corporate Research Associates, and Co-Chair of the Interim Board. “Our objective is simple and straightforward – membership in this organization means strict compliance with a rigorous set of world-class research standards. If you can’t or won’t comply, then you can’t be a member. It’s about quality, ethics and legitimacy of the data you collect.”

A key focus will be on building and strengthening of relationships with the international market and survey research community. As such, the association will look to adopt the best of global research standards (such as ESOMAR) to ensure harmony and cohesion with other world markets.

In addition, industry leaders at the August 30 meeting — who will act as the interim board until the association is more formally established — committed to working with individual research practitioners to find mutually agreeable solutions to help fill the void created by the demise of the Marketing Research and Intelligence Association (MRIA), which declared bankruptcy in early August. This includes a commitment to working with researchers, academia, and the Canadian and international research community to ensure the continuation of the Certified Marketing Research Professional (CMRP) designation, a highly valuable professional certification process that signifies a high level of knowledge and capability in marketing research theory and practice.

“While our new association will represent research agencies and the users of research data, it’s in the best interest of the industry that we work collaboratively with everyone involved, most importantly the research practitioners,” said Barry Watson, President and CEO of Environics Canada, and the other Co-Chair of the Interim Board. “As the old adage goes, we’re only as strong as the sum of our parts. We’re very committed to supporting the efforts of individual researchers to establish a complimentary organization and to protecting the CMRP designation.”

Over the upcoming weeks, Interim Board Members will be doing outreach to industry players to discuss the role and mandate of the new association, with a view to broadening the membership to be more inclusive of the Canadian marketplace. Membership will be open to research suppliers that believe in quality, scientifically-sound research (market research, polling, insights and analytics) and relevant for both traditional and emerging research methodologies. An associate membership category will be created for buyers and users of research, which encompasses the private and public sectors, academia, and media; associate members will form a “Partners Advisory Group,” to ensure a valuable dialogue and exchange of ideas and best practices between all.

More details on the new association will be released over the coming months, including a formal name and membership criteria. It is expected that the association will formally launch early in the new year, including the establishment of a structured board of directors.

Interim Board Members:

For more information, contact Greg Jodouin, Public Affairs: 613-859-8390 / gjodouin@paceconsulting.ca