Canada's Free Agents/FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Canada's Free Agents?

Canada's Free Agents is a new model designed to test Deloitte’s “GovCloud” model. The model offers public servants a unique opportunity to take charge of their career. Free Agents are able to...

• select their own projects and determine their own career paths;
• undertake projects where understanding and applying innovation processes is key;
• receive ongoing learning and professional development opportunities to help deliver innovation;
• have a forum for connecting and collaborating with other Free Agents -- we are a support network, which bolsters our ability to deliver; and,
• regularly promote their work through blogging and knowledge-sharing activities.

The Free Agent pilot began in May 2016 and is housed at Natural Resources Canada (NRCan), Transport Canada (TC), and Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). For more information, check out our GCcollab page.

How do Free Agents choose projects?

There are two primary ways Free Agents will choose their projects:

Method 1: Interested managers submit project proposals that the Free Agents review. If they are interested, Free Agents contact the managers to further explore and assess the opportunities to determine whether that assignment suits their skillset, career goals and/or interests.

Method 2: Free Agents solicit interest from their government networks to create their own opportunities in areas of their choosing.

What types of work do Free Agents do?

Free Agents work on assignments that vary in length (generally between 6-12 months) and location (any federal department or agency, anywhere in Canada or abroad). The Free Agent pilot is made up of public servants from a range of different classifications (including EC, IS, AS, PC, CS, CO and PM), language profiles, locations, and backgrounds.

Past and current assignments include:

• Privy Council Office - Prime Minister’s Youth Council Secretariat
• Employment and Social Development Canada - Innovation Lab
• Community of Federal Regulators - E-regulation pilot
• Department of Fisheries and Oceans - Ministerial Correspondence
• Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada - Strategic Policy
• Natural Resources Canada - Stakeholder Engagement

You can learn more about the experiences Free Agents have had so far by...

• connecting with them on Twitter: Aaron Percival, Christopher Slaney, Todd Lyons, Jennifer Harju, Nick Charney, Sean Kibbee, Valeria Sosa, Sarry Zheng, Amanda Bloom, Ali Feroz, Stephanie Percival, Greg White, Daphne Guerrero, Lily Spek, Sarah Shaughnessy, Helen Daniels, Claudie Larouche, Deepika Grover, Stephanie Davidson, David Sampson, Pierre-Luc Pilon, Ryan Sigouin, Laura Colella, Rachel Muston
• joining the Free Agent pilot GCcollab group

How are the Free Agents managed?

The Talent Manager helps Free Agents find assignments, tracks performance and manages HR needs. Free Agents meet weekly with their Talent Manager via teleconference and return to their home department monthly for check-ins and professional development. This helps the Talent Managers analyze the pilot’s success and inform senior management on the program's results.

The host manager is responsible for managing the work of the Free Agent on assignment. The host manager provides feedback to the Talent Manager about how the assignment is going, and how the Free Agent demonstrates innovation in their work.

What are the benefits of being a Free Agent?

There are a number of benefits in being a Free Agent, including...

• the opportunity to direct your career and work on projects that you are passionate about;
• frequent access to new learning opportunities and projects that stretch you and provide growth potential; and,
• access to a dynamic and diverse cohort with a broad skillset to support you, bounce ideas off and consult with when unique challenges arise in your assignment or work environment.

What challenges might Free Agents face?

We think the model is great but there can be challenges, including...

• the need to balance being part of two teams (Free Agents are part of the team where they are working but are also are expected to attend weekly and monthly “check-ins” to support the program);
• frequently changing work environments and teams can mean steep learning curves that are demanding, challenging and at times, emotionally exhausting;
• workplaces or the teams that are not ready for the kind of changes the Free Agent may want to introduce, despite evidence indicating their value; and,
• at times, a strong internal desire to ‘prove your worth’ as part of this pilot can add extra stress or create work-life imbalance if extra hours are worked; it’s important to be mindful of this risk.

Who can apply to become a Free Agent?

All indeterminate public servants levels below the EX level are eligible to apply to be Free Agents. This includes public servants living in the regions and abroad.

How are the Free Agent applicants assessed?

In collaboration with the innovation community across the Public Service, the program developed a list of key attributes and skills that innovators in the GoC should possess. The selection process is designed to assess those attributes that we believe are necessary to be successful as a Free Agent.

As part of the online application, candidates are asked to identify which of these attributes they have demonstrated in the past, and provide supporting documents. Once an application is received, the program will contact references.

Candidates selected for the next phase will then be invited to attend an in-person session, where they will work on projects -- with other candidates -- that test their ability to think and behave in ways that will allow them to be successful in this new model of working. The aim is to give candidates an opportunity to show their creativity, leadership, resilience, passion and teamwork in a realistic setting. Candidates will also take part in a 30-minute conversation and a 30-minute writing project.

We adjust our selection process slightly each time we do an intake, based on feedback from candidates, and to reflect other insights we have gained in the first years of the pilot.

What happens if I’m accepted?

Selected candidates will be offered lateral deployments to one of the home departments - TC, TBS, or NRCan.

Free Agents remain indeterminate employees of these home departments as long as they participate in the program, regardless of the department or agency where they work on assignment.

OK, I’m sold! How do I apply?

Free Agents are recruited through regularly scheduled intake processes. Currently, these processes run twice a year. Application processes are advertised on the Canada's Free Agents GCcollab page.

The next application process is taking place in fall 2018.

Join the Free Agent group on GCcollab to make sure you don’t miss it!