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MILESTONES

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March 2016

  • Independent Non-partisan Senators Working Group is launched

 

June 8, 2016

  • Selection Committee presents its 4th Report, which assigns independent senators to committees although not in numbers that reflect the principle of proportionality

 

 

June 15, 2016

  • Senate adopts Selection Committee’s report assigning independent senators to committees

 

June 29, 2016

  • The Independent Senators Group (ISG) is formally announced

 

July to December 2016

  • Usual Channels open to accommodate independent senators:

 

July – December: ISG included as a member of the Advisory Working Group to review the (SARs)

September – December: ISG included as a non-voting member of the Subcommittee on Estimates

October – December: ISG included in Scroll Meetings (the daily Chamber planning meeting)

 

 

October 4, 2016

Modernization Committee recommends that procedural and administrative rules be changed to:

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  1. include ‘recognized parliamentary groups’ on a par with ‘recognized political parties’ and caucuses

  2. explicitly recognize the proportionality principle

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December 6, 2016

Senate authorizes Internal Economy (CIBA) to provide funding for ISG

 

 

December 7, 2016

Motion by Conservative Leader, seconded by all other Leaders and Facilitators, adopted:
 

  • Senate agrees that Independent senators should sit on committees in numbers reflecting the proportionality principle

  • ISG senators are added as fourth (albeit non-voting) members of steering committees

  • ISG gains authority to substitute ISG members on committees in the event of absences, etc.

     

December 14, 2016

  • Selection Committee presents its 5th Report, which explicitly recognizes the Independent Senators Group (ISG) as a formal entity

 

December 15, 2016

  • Senate adopts motion to assign committee seats proportionally to members of ISG

  • CIBA authorizes funding for personnel to support the ISG (the Secretariat)

 

February to June 2017

  • Usual channels further open to accommodate independent senators

  • Clerk of the Senate changes the designation on all formal documents from ‘non-affiliated’ to ‘Independent Senators Group’, thus recognizing the ISG as a formal entity

  • Weekly Leaders’ Meetings include the ISG Facilitator

  • ISG continues to participate in weekly Scroll Meetings

  • Speaker formally includes the ISG in his rotation for Question Period on a proportional basis

  • Provincial and federal government correspondence begins to include the ISG on courtesy distribution lists

  • PCO includes the ISG on its protocol list for state events such as awarding an honorary citizenship to Ms. Malala

 

May 9, 2017

  • Rules Committee adopts rule changes putting ‘recognized parliamentary groups’ on a par with ‘recognized political parties’

 

 

May 11, 2017

  • Senate adopts rule changes putting ‘recognized parliamentary groups’ on a par with ‘recognized political parties’.

 

 

June 1, 2017

  • Senate adopts a rule change explicitly reflecting the proportionality principle for Selection Committees

  • CIBA’s Subcommittee on Communications agrees to change a senator’s designation on all digital documents from ‘non-affiliated’ to ‘Independent Senators Group’, again recognizing the ISG as a formal entity. The change is implemented on June 2, 2017

 

June 2016 to May 2017

  • 20% of government bills receiving Royal Assent have been amended by the Senate. In the previous 35 years, only 4.5% of government bills given Royal Assent were amended by the Senate.

 

 

June 21, 2017

  • Senate adopts rule changes putting recognized parliamentary groups’ on par with “recognized parties” in the definition of “caucus” for the purposes of the Senate Administrative

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