What Earnscliffe does

Earnscliffe is an independently held Canadian strategic advisory firm founded in 1988 and headquartered in Ottawa, with regional offices in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. The firm serves Canadian businesses, federal/provincial/municipal government entities, and advocacy organizations, delivering an integrated three-pillar offering of Public Affairs (government relations, regulatory navigation, legislative strategy, Indigenous relations, coalition building), Public Relations (media relations, crisis management, corporate and investor communications, brand development), and Data, Digital and Design (opinion research, digital strategy, creative production). Underpinning these services are proprietary assets including Threadlines (audience micro-targeting platform that applies political campaign methodology to business challenges), Indigenous Insights (a 9+ year Indigenous-focused research portal), and Earnscliffe Omni (a bi-weekly nationally representative omnibus survey with provincial cuts for B.C., Alberta, Ontario, and Québec).

The firm employs 100+ professionals across Canada, including presence in the Prairies, and offers bilingual (English/French) delivery. It operates a senior-led engagement model in which former senior government officials, veteran journalists, award-winning creatives, digital strategists, and campaign professionals work directly with clients on retainer or project-based mandates. The wholly-owned Switchboard Public Relations subsidiary (acquired 2023-01-01) extends capability in the technology and innovation vertical while retaining its brand. Distribution is primarily direct senior-led sales, augmented by FIPRA Network membership which provides reciprocal referral access to independent consultancies in 50+ countries, with Andre Albinati serving as FIPRA Canada lead. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; engagements are quote-based on scope, seniority, and complexity, typically structured as multi-year retainer or project-based arrangements.

Revenue is generated through professional consulting fees for strategic communications mandates, with growing annuity-style contribution from proprietary research and data platforms. The firm has been recognized with CPRS PR Practitioner of the Year (2017, Janine Allen), Hill Times Top 100 Lobbyists (Andre Albinati for over a decade), CPRS, IABC, and Digital Health Awards. In April 2026 the firm evolved its brand from 'Earnscliffe Strategies' to 'Earnscliffe' to reflect the breadth of its services. Ownership is private and remains undisclosed beyond an internal equity partnership program for employees; no parent company, institutional investors, or external funding are identified.

Name

Earnscliffe

Legal name

Earnscliffe

Website

https://earnscliffe.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Earnscliffe is a privately held Canadian strategic advisory firm with 100+ professionals in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver. It serves Canadian businesses, governments, and advocacy organizations with integrated public affairs, public relations, and data-driven communications and research services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Professional consulting fees for integrated public affairs, public relations, crisis management, opinion research, and digital campaign services. Engagements are project-based or retainer arrangements with senior-level expertise.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Earnscliffe is a Canadian strategic and government relations consulting firm that helps businesses, governments, and advocacy organizations influence policy, manage reputation, shift public opinion and mobilize support. Its offering combines three integrated practices — Public Affairs, Public Relations, and Data, Digital and Design — supported by proprietary research tools (Threadlines, Indigenous Insights, Earnscliffe Omni) and a senior-led delivery model. Services are delivered on a project or retainer basis across offices in Ottawa, Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver.

Product overview

Earnscliffe is a strategic and government relations firm offering an integrated service model combining Public Affairs, Public Relations, and Data, Digital and Design capabilities. The core offerings include policy development and regulatory navigation, reputation management and crisis communications, and data-driven research and digital campaigns. Proprietary products include Threadlines (audience micro-targeting platform), Indigenous Insights (Indigenous data portal), and the Earnscliffe Omni research tool. The firm also offers specialized services including crisis management, opinion research, and creative design, all delivered through an integrated team approach with offices across Canada.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public Affairs Government relations and policy advisory services helping clients navigate regulatory challenges and policy opportunities across all levels of government, including coalition building, legislative strategy and Indigenous relations.
• Public Relations Reputation management and strategic communications services including media relations, crisis management, corporate communications, investor relations and brand development.
• Data, Digital and Design Integrated capability combining opinion research and analytics, digital strategy and campaigns, and creative design services to drive audience engagement and action.
• Threadlines Proprietary audience micro-targeting platform that identifies and reaches specific psychographic segments with messages tailored to values and behaviors, applying political campaign expertise to business challenges.
• Indigenous Insights Comprehensive Indigenous data portal offering 9+ years of research and insights for tracking trends and testing messages related to Indigenous audiences.
• Earnscliffe Omni Fast, actionable insights platform offering nationally representative data at compelling price points with national and provincial (B.C., Alberta, Ontario, Québec) coverage options, featuring bi-weekly turnaround.
• Crisis Management 24/7 crisis response capability combining communications expertise with political intelligence, legal understanding and digital response for reputation protection.

Quantifiable outcome

• National reach with bilingual capabilities across four major Canadian cities
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Switchboard Public RelationsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Vancouver-based PR firm specializing in technology and innovation. Acquired by Earnscliffe effective January 1, 2023. Acquisition expands geographic reach and operational capacity across Canada while allowing Switchboard to retain its brand and focus on tech sectors.
• FIPRA NetworkcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEarnscliffe is a member of FIPRA Network, a global network of owner-operated independent consultancies providing senior-level expert advice on complex political, policy and regulatory issues in more than 50 countries. Enables referrals for international clients seeking Canadian expertise or Canadian clients seeking services outside Canada. Andre Albinati serves as lead for FIPRA Canada.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Navigator: Canadian strategic advisory and public affairs firm with strong government relations and communications capabilities. Most direct domestic competitor, similar integrated model targeting Canadian corporate and government clients.
• Crestview Strategy: Toronto-based government relations and strategic communications firm serving corporate and association clients across Canada. Comparable in size and service mix, frequently competing for the same mandates.
• Sussex Strategy Group: Canadian public affairs, government relations, and strategic communications firm. Overlaps directly with Earnscliffe's core public affairs practice and similar client base of corporations and advocacy groups.
• Strategic Counsel: Canadian research, communications, and public affairs consultancy co-founded by Allan Gregg in 1995. Strong overlap in opinion research and strategic communications, with shared talent lineage to Earnscliffe.
• Templar Strategies: Toronto-based public affairs and strategic communications boutique serving corporate clients on government relations and stakeholder engagement. Comparable size and service offering to Earnscliffe's public affairs practice.

Broad incumbents

• Hill & Knowlton Canada: Global public relations and public affairs firm with a substantial Canadian practice. Provides overlapping services as part of a much broader global portfolio, frequently competing for large corporate communications mandates.
• FGS Global: Global strategic communications and public affairs firm. Competes with Earnscliffe on complex Canadian mandates and is the dominant high-end international competitor for cross-border public affairs work.
• Edelman Canada: Global communications marketing firm with a strong Canadian public affairs practice. Competes for integrated communications and public affairs mandates from large Canadian and multinational clients.
• APCO Worldwide: Global public affairs and strategic communications consultancy. Overlaps with Earnscliffe on government relations, advocacy, and corporate positioning work, particularly for multinational clients with Canadian interests.

Emerging players

• Pollara Strategic Insights: Canadian opinion research and insights firm with public affairs capabilities. Direct comparison point for Earnscliffe's Earnscliffe Omni omnibus and research-led offerings, though narrower in scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/earnscliffe-strategies
• Xx.com/earnscliffecda

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles19 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Earnscliffe