Canada's newly established government house leader says the Liberals hope to avoid getting off on the wrong foot in the party’s push to reform the Senate.

In an appearance that aired Sunday on CTV's Question Period, Dominic LeBlanc said the party does not want to begin the conversation "assuming a bunch of ill-will."

"We do, however, have a mandate from the people on a clear platform, and we intend to legislate that mandate. But we want to do it in a collegial and constructive way," he said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to create an advisory panel on appointments to cleanse some of the partisanship from the upper chamber.

And LeBlanc said he has been charged by Trudeau to prepare options on reform for his fellow cabinet members.

"I intend to tell my colleague parliamentarians in the Senate that if they study legislation and come up with amendments or improvements to the legislation, why wouldn't we look at them in a constructive way?" he said.

In turn, LeBlanc said he expects his fellow cabinet members to "explain and defend" legislation on reform introduced in the House of Commons to Senate members.

However, the Conservative-controlled Senate could create roadblocks to reform by slowing legislation, forcing amendments or giving priority to its own private members' bills.

But LeBlanc remained optimistic about his government's ability to enact changes.

"We're very open-minded to suggestions that senators have of how we can structure a relationship that will ensure that the government’s legislation passes; that is our obligation and our mandate. But we shouldn’t assume an adversarial relationship with our colleagues in Parliament,” he said.

As it stands, there are 47 Conservative senators in the red chamber.

Another 29 were formerly part of the Liberal caucus, but now sit as independents after Trudeau stripped them of their party status two years ago, in what he called an early step to reforming the scandal-plagued Senate.

There are also 22 vacant seats -- a number scheduled to jump to 26 by the end of 2016 after the impending retirement of two Liberal and two Conservative senators.

One of these vacancies would traditionally be filled by the government leader in the Senate; however the role remained unfilled when Trudeau unveiled his cabinet on Wednesday.

And on Sunday, LeBlanc was mum on his government's vision for the position going forward.

"We haven't come to a final conclusion on that kind of precise measure," he said.

"The prime minister has asked me to look at options that would ensure that we have a constructive engagement with the Senate … One of the things that we’re going to be looking at is also a process that is much more inclusive and transparent and less partisan to appoint senators."

He added the government is also in no rush to fill the other vacant seats.

Traditionally, appointees to the red chamber have been selected by the prime minister from the party's ranks.

But during the election campaign, Trudeau pledged to appoint new senators through a non-partisan, "merit-based" process involving an independent panel to assess candidates and make recommendations.

Rejection of Keystone XL

When asked about U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline on Friday, LeBlanc said it is "probably too early to conclude" that all of Canada's pipeline projects are dead.

"(They have) to be a done a way that’s environmentally responsible, that builds community support (and) First Nations support," he said.

"There are independent processes reviewing other pipelines options, and the government wants to make sure that those are robust and independent.”

ISIS mission

LeBlanc also said Canadians can expect in the "coming weeks" how Trudeau's pledge to stop bombing missions against Islamic State forces in Iraq and Syria will shake out.

“I would assume they’re talking to other partners in the coalition now," he said. "We made a clear commitment, the prime minister hasn't changed the commitment that we made before the election. But exactly how that’s operationalized is obviously a subject of conversation with allies."