Canadian Senators Group


The Canadian Senators Group is a parliamentary group of senators in the Senate of Canada founded in 2019. Its inaugural and current leader is Scott Tannas.

History

The caucus was formed on November 4, 2019, by eight senators from the Independent Senators Group, two from the Conservative Party of Canada's Senate caucus, and one non-affiliated senator.
In an interview with CTV News' Don Martin, Tannas said that the motivation for him and at least several other senators to depart the ISG was a perceived lack of independence in the contentious spring 2019 legislation related to west coast oil tanker moratoriums and other oil and gas-related legislation. Additionally, Tannas cited the concern that the Independent Senators Group, then numbering 58 Senators, had become too large, and that a "wider range of views and approaches" was needed. In addition, in an effort to avoid "groupthink", CSG interim leader Senator Scott Tannas announced that the initial founding members of the group had agreed to cap membership in the group to no more than 25 members. Also included among the reasons for the founding of a second, non-partisan, and independent Senate caucus was a perennially renewed effort to focus on regional issues, despite this notionally being the constitutionally enshrined purpose of the Senate as a whole.
Included among those decamping to the Canadian Senators Group was Elaine McCoy, who previously served as the ISG's founding facilitator from 2016 to 2017.
On November 18, 2019, two more senators joined the CSG: Percy Downe, formerly of the Progressive Senate Group and Senate Liberal Caucus; and Jean-Guy Dagenais, a Conservative. Downe said he still supported the Liberal Party but liked the "diversity of views" in the CSG; while Dagenais cited disagreements with the leadership of Andrew Scheer, particularly Scheer's social views and the "low importance" he placed on Quebec, as the reasons for his defection.
On February 4, 2022, Dennis Patterson joined the CSG, departing the Conservative caucus. The "last straw" was disappointment that members of the party weren't condemning the Freedom Convoy.
On August 4, 2022, Larry Smith left the Conservative caucus to join the CSG. Smith clarified that he would remain a member of the Conservative Party.

Leaders

Former leaders

Membership

Former members

NameProvince Former political affiliationJoined caucusLeft caucusReason
Elaine McCoyAlbertaIndependent Senators Group4 November 201929 December 2020Died in office
Doug BlackAlbertaIndependent Senators Group4 November 201931 October 2021Resigned from Senate
Jean-Guy DagenaisQuebec Conservative18 November 20192 February 2025Mandatory retirement from the Senate
Diane GriffinPrince Edward IslandIndependent Senators Group4 November 201918 March 2022Mandatory retirement from the Senate
Vernon WhiteOntarioIndependent Senators Group4 November 20192 October 2022Resigned from Senate
Larry CampbellBritish ColumbiaIndependent Senators Group4 November 201924 October 2022Changed affiliation to non-affiliated
Dennis PattersonNunavutConservative4 February 202230 December 2023Mandatory retirement from the Senate
David RichardsNew BrunswickNon-affiliated4 November 201913 May 2024Changed affiliation to non-affiliated
Stephen GreeneNova Scotia Independent Senators Group4 November 20198 December 2024Mandatory retirement from the Senate