Independent Senators Group

The Independent Senators Group (ISG; ) is a parliamentary group in the Senate of Canada. Established on March 10, 2016, the Independent Senators Group is committed to a non-partisan Senate and the modernization of the Upper House of Canada's Parliament. The Independent Senators Group is the largest parliamentary group in the Senate. Composed of independents not affiliated with any political caucus, members of the group work cooperatively but act independently. The majority of Independent Senators Group members have been Canadians who have applied directly to the Senate through the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments. The Advisory Board, when convened by the Prime Minister, reviews applications in provinces and territories where there are planned or current vacancies. Organizations and individuals are also encouraged to nominate high-quality individuals whom they consider to be potential candidates for appointment to the Senate and whom they feel meet the assessment criteria. Individuals who are nominated for a Senate appointment are still required to submit an online application. History In January 2014, Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau proposed the Senate should be made non-partisan, to better serve Canadians. He suggested an "open, transparent, non-partisan process" that would see all senators named to the Red Chamber sit as Independents. The Trudeau government began appointing independent senators, which in theory would make the Senate a non-partisan body. The growing number of these appointments created a challenge within the upper house as it had always been organized along partisan lines and there were no mechanisms in place to deal with a large number of independent senators, in terms of funding or appointments to committees, whereas the Conservative and Senate Liberal Caucuses were funded and guaranteed appointments.