This paper compares rank and file policy based Canadian federal government employees both in the National Capital Region and in the regions. Data was collected from an online survey, the results find a number of significant differences between the two groups in terms of demographics, tasks, and attitudes. We conclude that regional oriented policy tasks are carried out by a relatively few number of people and this group is, at best, on the margins of what could be considered to policy work. These differences may have a significant impact on the federal government’s overall policy capacity.