This is the best summary I could come up with:

Senate reform was a hot topic at the time, spurred to prominence by an expenses scandal and competing proposals for change.

"One of the things that has happened as a result of the [reforms] is that the culture of the institution has changed," said Paul Thomas, a professor emeritus of political science at the University of Manitoba who has studied the Senate.

He said that while he disagreed with the initial motivations for reforming the Senate (he argued it worked better than most people thought), there have been some positive results from the new climate of non-partisanship.

The new Senate has had to deal with contentious and divisive issues, ranging from medical assistance in dying to carbon tax exemptions.

Votes on amendments to C-234, which would have exempted some farming activity from the carbon tax, split several of the various new groupings in the Senate — another sign that the body has grown more independent.

Trudeau's appointments have reshaped the Senate but polling indicating the Liberals are poised to lose the next election to the Conservatives now raises questions about whether the changes are durable.

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