Diversity Policies | Molson Coors Distances Itself

Anti-inclusion activism is crossing the U.S. border. Following in the footsteps of Jack Daniel’s, Harley-Davidson, and Ford, Molson Coors is ending some workplace diversity policies that particularly affect the LGBTQ+ community.

Fearing a boycott by a strong conservative movement in the United States, several brands have revised their inclusion policies. In Quebec, this recent decision by Molson could harm the image of the company founded in Montreal. At least that’s what Thierry Arnaud, president of the Quebec LGBT Chamber of Commerce, says. “It’s the opposite of good practices. It’s obviously bad news. It’s definitely going to harm their image.” According to him, the brewer’s sales could even be affected by this decision.

“It’s a big blow on their part. I don’t think it’s a good idea to do that,” believes Martine Roy. President of the LGBT Purge Fund, created to administer the money from the settlement of a class action against the federal government for the wrongs suffered by this minority in the Canadian public service and in the Armed Forces, she is also the regional director of 2SLGBTQ+ business development at TD Bank, for Quebec and Eastern Canada.

Stéphane Mailhot, president of Havas Canada and a brand expert, doesn’t think Molson Coors’ new directions will lead to a boycott. “There’s no one sitting at home and saying, ‘I’d like to drink a more inclusive beer.'” The brewer’s decision doesn’t surprise him.

Rating system

The two-headed company, which has one headquarters in Colorado and one in Montreal, recently announced to its employees that it would no longer participate in the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) rating system. The advocacy group rates companies based on the inclusion of members of the LGBTQ+ community in their workplaces, the Wall Street Journal.

“Moving forward, we will evaluate our work to build a strong company culture based on our own internal metrics, your feedback, and our success in serving our customers,” reads the internal memo sent to employees earlier this week, which The Press was able to consult. “We will no longer participate in voluntary third-party rankings of companies in the United States, including the HRC Corporate Equality Index. This will not impact the benefits we offer our employees, nor will it change or diminish our commitment to fostering a strong culture where every one of our employees knows they are welcome at our bar.”

However, after checking its website late Thursday, the company still boasted that it “supports absolute equality.” “Molson Coors has earned a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign’s (HRC) Corporate Equality Index for 18 years in a row, making the company one of the ‘Best Places to Work for LGBTQ+ Equality’ based on its internal policies and external practices,” it reads.

The brewer also decided to stop setting diversity goals for its supplier selection, which aimed to purchase from minority-owned businesses. “While we continue to work to ensure that we use the best suppliers for our business, and those that represent the diverse nature of our customer base, we have found that these measures can be complicated and influenced by factors beyond our control,” the company wrote to employees.

A movement that comes from the South

Molson Coors isn’t alone in ending some inclusion policies. This trend is sweeping across the United States. In March 2023, Bud Light beer was the subject of controversy when it was associated with a transgender influencer who was promoting a contest organized by the company. Sales plummeted. Modelo became the best-selling beer in our neighbors to the South. Molson Coors also benefited from Bud Light’s decline in popularity.

More recently, many companies like Jack Daniel’s, Lowe’s and Ford have all ended their equity, diversity and inclusion policies. Calls for boycotts by Nashville conservative activist Robby Starbuck have brought many of them to heel, reported The Press in a column signed by Isabelle Hachey, on August 29¹In Molson’s case, he also takes credit for pushing it back.

“Big news: Last week I sent a message to Molson Coors executives to let them know that I planned to expose their policies wokewriting Robby Starbuck in a post on his Facebook page. Today, they are making preventive changes. […] Our campaigns are so effective that we get multi-billion dollar organizations to change their policies without me even posting, just for fear of being the next company we expose.”

After questioning Molson Coors regional director of public and government affairs, François Lefebvre, about Robby Starbuck sending a message to the company’s bosses, The Press did not receive a response. Asked about the consequences of such a decision for the company’s image in Quebec, Mr. Lefebvre said by email that “Molson Coors [faisait] part of the community in Quebec and Montreal since 1786.”

“Over generations, we have worked hard to create a culture based on mutual respect, a culture in which everyone feels safe and welcome.”

A call for a boycott?

Could LGBTQ+ advocacy organizations in Quebec encourage the population to shun the brewer’s beers? “Anything is possible,” Martine Roy answers spontaneously.

At the Fondation Émergence, Laurent Breault is more nuanced. “Before moving towards these measures, we would be ready to talk to them. We don’t want to upset them, otherwise, we will give them the certainty that they are right.” He nevertheless hopes that this movement does not affect other companies on Canadian soil.

1. Read Isabelle Hachey’s column on Robby Starbuck