- Conservative Senator Don PlettOntario Independent Senator Frances Lankin said the Harder bashing and "gamesmanship" was distracting from what senators are in Ottawa to do: pass legislation. However, two seats on each Senate committee have already been set aside for "non-affiliated" senators, but some have yet to be filled. The partisan caucuses still control membership on committees — there isn't a single Independent on the selection committee, which decides who sits where — and research budgets are out of whack, Independent senators have argued. Conservative Senator Don Plett said change is underway to change the composition of Senate committees, telling Independents not to be in such a rush. "We need to get some other rules in place before we simply dive in and put more committee members in."

Source: CBC News November 23, 2016 10:00 UTC