Canadian Senators Group#Leadership

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.{{cite news |last1=Flanagan |first1=Ryan |title=11 senators break away to form new Canadian Senators Group |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/11-senators-break-away-to-form-new-canadian-senators-group-1.4669081 |access-date=5 November 2019 |publisher=CTV News |date=4 November 2019}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.reddeeradvocate.com/news/new-senate-group-forms-to-push-regional-interests-in-a-fractured-parliament/|title=New Senate group forms to push regional interests in a fractured Parliament|date=4 November 2019|access-date=5 November 2019|publisher=Red Deer Advocate|agency=The Canadian Press}}{{cite news|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/new-senators-group-of-11-could-complicate-liberal-efforts-to-get-legislation-passed|title=New Senate bloc looking to protect 'regional interests' could hamper Trudeau's efforts to pass legislation|author1=Jesse Snyder|date=4 November 2019|work=National Post|access-date=5 November 2019|author2=Brian Platt}} 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.{{Cite web|url=https://sencanada.ca/en/senators-list/|title=Senators List|date=August 25, 2019|website=Senate of Canada|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801193554/https://sencanada.ca/en/senators-list/|archive-date=August 1, 2019|access-date=4 November 2019}}

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.{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senate-defections-canadian-senators-group-1.5363311?cmp=rss|title=Two more senators defect to upstart group, one citing Scheer's leadership|last1=Tasker|first1=John Paul|date=18 November 2019|access-date=18 November 2019|publisher=CBC News}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/senator-leaves-conservative-caucus-citing-scheer-s-socially-conservative-views-1.4690656|title=Senator leaves Conservative caucus citing Scheer's socially conservative views|first=Rachel|last=Gilmore|date=November 18, 2019|website=CTVNews}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/jean-guy-dagenais-conservative-party_ca_5dd2cb94e4b02947481bb4b2|title=Tory Senator Ditches Caucus Over Scheer's Views On Abortion, Gay Marriage|date=November 18, 2019|website=HuffPost|access-date=November 24, 2019}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Al-Hakim |first1=Aya |title=Nunavut senator Dennis Patterson quits Conservative caucus: 'This country is divided' |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/8595943/nunavut-senator-dennis-patterson-conservative-caucus-ottawa/ |access-date=21 February 2022 |work=Global News |date=4 February 2022 |location=Toronto ON}}{{cite news |last1=Pelletier |first1=Jeff |title=Patterson quits Conservatives over Freedom Convoy ties |url=https://nunatsiaq.com/stories/article/nunavuts-senator-defects-from-conservative-caucus/ |access-date=22 February 2022 |work=Nunatsiaq News |publisher=Nortext Publishing Corporation (Iqaluit) |date=4 February 2022 |location=Iqaluit NU}}

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.{{Cite news |last=Major |first=Darren |date=2022-08-04 |title=Quebec senator leaving Conservative caucus but says he will remain a member of party |work=CBC News |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/senator-larry-smith-leaves-conservative-caucus-1.6541431}}

• Leader: Scott Tannas (since November 4, 2019)
• Deputy leader: Rebecca Patterson (since October 31, 2023)
• Liaison: Percy Downe (since November 20, 2019)
• Deputy liaison: Krista Ross (since December 8, 2024)
• Chair: Gigi Osler (since October 24, 2023)

• Deputy leader: Josée Verner (November 4, 2019 – May 13, 2021)
• Chair: Robert Black (November 20, 2019 – October 24, 2023)
• Deputy leader: Dennis Patterson (March 21, 2022 – October 31, 2023)

• Independent Senators Group
• Progressive Senate Group
• Senate Liberal Caucus

• [http://csg.sencanada.ca/home/ Canadian Senators Group ]

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{{Canadian federal political parties}}

Category:Senate of Canada

Category:Independent politicians in Canada

Category:2019 establishments in Canada

Category:Technical parliamentary groups

Category:Parliamentary groups in Canada

Category:Political organizations established in 2019