Regrouping in the Senate of Canada.

• Date: 22 September 2021
• Author: Tannas, Scott

Following the introduction of a new application process for the Senate which introduced a large number of nonpartisan appointees to the Red Chamber, a group of Independent Senators formed a caucus called the Independent Senators Group (ISG) in 2016. Later joined by Senators who had previously been a part of either the Liberal or Conservative caucuses, the ISG soon grew so large that other caucuses of independent Senators formed, including the Canadian Senators Group (CSG) and Progressive Senate Group (PSG). In this article, the author explains how this process unfolded and why he believes the new independent caucuses in the upper chamber are fundamental for the Senate to exercise unwhipped, unvarnished, and unimpeded sober second thought.

One of the oldest conventions of politics is being transformed in the Senate of Canada, and it's unfolding smoothly enough that few may have taken notice. Parliamentary caucuses aligned with political parties have long been an organizing basis of most legislatures, but new independent groups in Canada's upper chamber are shaking up that practice. As there are few analogous legislative bodies in the world that have multiple independent groups, the example of the Senate of Canada is one worth examining.

Many senators, including myself, have embraced the idea of working in independent groups, which is changing the landscape of Canadian parliament. At a time when politics seems more divisive than ever, the emergence of independent groups in the Senate signals a constructive antidote to increasing political polarization. As the leader of one of the Senate's independent groups, I want to explain the thinking behind recent changes in the Senate's composition and functions, and some of the challenges that lie ahead.

The Caucus Tradition in the Senate

For most of the Senate's history, only two caucuses --Liberal and Conservative--existed, each trading places as government or opposition depending on the outcome of elections. Parliamentary caucuses have always been distinct organisms in the Senate. Since the beginning of the Senate's history, many senators have been wary of being loyal party soldiers. Although a lot of fuss has been made about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to appoint independent senators, the truth is that senators have always been independent after they are summoned to the upper chamber. How they have chosen to associate themselves with other senators has varied a great deal. It wasn't until the Second World War that...