The Advisory Board, when convened by the Prime Minister, reviews applications in provinces and territories where there are planned or current vacancies.

[2] 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.

On September 27, 2016 the members of the ISG elected McCoy to act as the group's facilitator until the end of the parliamentary term in June 2017.

[9] Following that change, McCoy stated that the ISG's influence in Senate standing committees will be increased to ensure its representation is proportional to the other caucuses.

[17] Speaking with CTV News' Don Martin, CSG interim leader Scott Tannas cited the concern that the ISG— then numbering 58 members— had become too large, and that a "wider range of views and approaches" was needed.

[22] After the establishment of the Progressive Senate Group in late 2019, several ISG members left to join that caucus throughout 2020 and 2021: Patricia Bovey,[23] Marty Klyne,[24] Brian Francis[25] and Margaret Dawn Anderson.

[29] A 2017 CBC News study found that independent senators appointed by Justin Trudeau voted with the government 94.5 percent of the time.

[32] The Globe and Mail reported in May 2019 that Trudeau used Liberalist, a Liberal Party donor database and organizing guide, in order to vet prospective Senate appointees.