Goals

Prime Minister Mark Carney has asserted that “We are at the start of an industrial transformation, a transformation of this economy”, calling it “the biggest transformation since the end of the Second World War.”¹

To navigate this moment of crisis, Canadian corporate leaders, start-ups, scale-ups and large firms must do their part. By leveraging the structure of the existing Interchange Canada program, the government can seek out private sector perspectives and expertise and the private sector can loan their best technical talent and share cutting edge knowledge and approaches. 

This collaboration will help improve the governments’ technical capabilities to accelerate AI adoption, strengthen defense capabilities, improve strategic procurement, negotiate optimal trade agreements and more. Canada is fortunate to already have a highly skilled public service; strengthening links with the private sector will further enrich and enhance its efforts.

Target: Within 60 days deploy 50 senior technical leaders from Canadian private sector companies into key public sector roles. Plan to scale the program to 500 depending on the initial results.

Background and Motivation

Canada has a proud history of private sector leaders contributing time and expertise to national projects led by the government.

During the Second World War, C.D. Howe helped organize over a hundred of Canada’s top industrial leaders to work for the government to organize and bolster the war efforts, producing everything from ammunition to airplanes, and not only helping to secure Canada’s victory in the war but transforming the country into a modern industrial nation². These leaders were called the “Dollar-a-Year Men” because they devoted their time and energy to serving the country for a nominal salary of a dollar a year plus expenses, though many declined even to charge for their expenses. 

After the war, senior professionals from the private sector continued to support the growing Canadian public sector. In 1971, the government developed the Interchange Canada program to allow top members of industry to work with government agencies for a short period to provide their know-how and management expertise to help keep costs low and ensure effective services³. These programs grew quickly, and within a decade there were over a thousand private sector leaders supporting the government.

In addition to these activities, the federal government has a long history of seeking out private sector perspectives. From the Macdonald Commission in the 1980s to industry rountables during Canada/US and NAFTA trade agreement discussions, Canadian companies have contributed to public policy development through a number of mechanisms.

Globally, making use of top talent from the private sector is routine and a proven path to help improve government policy. Denmark has appointed a Tech Ambassador based in San Francisco to work with major tech companies to learn from them directly⁴. Germany uses a Digital Council of 10 outside experts to consult the Chancellor’s office⁵. The United States is using the Presidential Innovation Fellows to embed Silicon Valley talent in government agencies⁶ and the recently launched Detachment 201, aims to recruit tech executives to serve the Army Reserve as senior advisors⁷. Since 2017 the UK has seconded 100 private‑sector cyber experts into the National Cyber Security Centre to train government employees and ensure cutting edge know-how. India brought in IT entrepreneur Nandan Nilekani to build the Aadhaar digital ID system, which now serves 1.3 billion people and has saved $9 billion by cutting fraud⁸.

Canada faces serious challenges in AI adoption, defense capabilities, enterprise software, strategic procurement, and more—areas where there are skilled experts in private sector companies. We need their technical knowledge now. By having private sector experts help the government directly it will empower our public sector leaders to develop policies that are more relevant in our fast-changing world helping our economy grow faster, our public service use cutting-edge tools, and our military have the best equipment.

Canadian entrepreneurs have built many world-class companies. These successes compounded Canada’s educated workforce, stable institutions, and public research investments. Like the Dollar-a-Year Men who served during wartime, Canada needs today’s leaders to step up and contribute directly. Governments should welcome additional expertise from the private sector and set up systems to use it effectively. And, companies should loan some of their best technical talent to the government while covering their salaries. 

For the experts that are selected this will be an excellent benefit and a source of pride. Many would love to contribute their time and skills to building Canada in this moment of urgent transformation. But, many can’t make a full time commitment or change their career. This program would allow our top companies to help their employees and the country at the same time.

What Needs To Be Done

Leverage the structure of the Interchange Canada program to embed private sector experts into key public sector roles. The government should immediately launch a modernized version of the existing Interchange Canada program, specifically targeting individuals with deep technical expertise in artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced manufacturing, enterprise software, marketing and strategic procurement. The program will begin with 50 carefully selected individuals reporting into the PCO with placements across priority departments including Innovation, Science and Economic Development, Public Services and Procurement Canada, and the Treasury Board Secretariat. Each participant will be embedded in key areas with dedicated roles to help develop enterprise software, procurement strategies, AI implementation, and more. Unlike traditional secondments, participating companies will cover 100% of their employees’ salaries and benefits while they serve 12-24 month terms. To ensure these people are put to use in a way that is fast and effective the program will use an accelerated approval and onboarding process.

Create fast-track approval processes and remove bureaucratic barriers that typically slow private sector integration. The government will establish a dedicated program office within the Privy Council Office with authority to expedite security clearances, bypass standard HR procedures, and provide immediate workspace and technology access for incoming participants. This office will also maintain relationships with Canadian corporations, actively recruiting participants and matching expertise with government needs. A standardized participation agreement will streamline onboarding and ensure consistent expectations across all placements, covering intellectual property protections, conflict of interest guidelines, and knowledge transfer requirements. 

Common Questions

Don’t we have all the talent we need in the federal public service? There is no question that Canada has a world-class public service filled with highly talented professionals. But there are at least two reasons why it is still essential to bring in private sector expertise. First, working in the private sector provides a different perspective from working in government. Incorporating front-line experience is essential to enhancing economic policy. Second, there are specific technical areas–such as AI infrastructure–where the leading private sector firms have unique skills that haven’t yet diffused to the rest of society.

Won’t this just give big corporations undue influence over government policy and create conflicts of interest? The program will include strict rules to prevent corporate influence while capturing expertise Canada needs. Every participant would be required to adhere to robust conflict of interest standards. The focus will be on deploying technical skills like building AI systems and improving procurement, not writing regulations. Ultimately, the elected political level will always be in charge and accountable.

Why should taxpayers trust that private sector employees will act in the public interest rather than their company’s interests? These experts are accountable to government goals, not corporate profits. Each person works inside government, follows the ethics and conflict of interest guidelines, and gets measured on serving Canadians. Canada can benefit from their knowledge, especially in areas like artificial intelligence where technology changes every few months.

Isn’t this like the Department of Government Efficiency in the US? Why would it be smart to run the government like a business? This isn’t about running a government like a business. This is about deploying Canadian technical talent where the country needs it most. In a moment of economic transformation, we must use every resource at our disposal.

Isn’t this just corporate welfare, allowing companies to get free training while avoiding consulting fees? This saves taxpayers significant money while delivering better results. The government currently pays $200-500 per hour for specialized technology consulting, costing millions annually for part-time advice. Under this program companies will pay 100% of employee salaries while the government gets full-time experts instead of expensive consultants. Not only is the labour free of charge to the government but the knowledge and systems that are put in place will stay when these experts teach permanent staff. 

Conclusion

Canada faces its biggest economic transformation since the Second World War. The private sector has technical expertise that the government can use to deploy enterprise software, navigate artificial intelligence, improve procurement, and drive growth. Corporate leaders need to step up just like the Dollar-a-Year Men did during wartime. By embedding at least 50 top experts into government while covering their full salaries, companies can ensure that our government has best-in-class technical know-how and is equipped to drive productivity and growth. This isn’t corporate welfare or undue influence. It’s a patriotic duty. The government can enable these moves by using the structure of the Interchange Canada program to fast-track roles with real impact and corporate leaders should answer the call to serve their country.