Denise Batters


Denise Leanne Batters is a Canadian senator named to the Senate of Canada to represent Saskatchewan on January 25, 2013. She is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada.

Early life and education

Born in Regina, Batters received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina in 1991. In 1994, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan, and was admitted to the bar in 1995.

Legal career

Batters was in private practice until 2007 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008. From 2007 to 2012, she served as the Chief of Staff to Saskatchewan Minister of Justice Don Morgan. From 2012 to 2013, Batters worked for Saskatchewan's Crown Investments Corporation as executive director of regulatory affairs.

Mental health advocate

On June 29, 2009, Batters' husband, former Palliser Conservative Member of Parliament Dave Batters, died by suicide at the age of 39. In the wake of his death, Denise Batters became a mental health advocate. She organized a number of Dave Batters Memorial Golf Tournaments, which raised more than $195,000 for mental illness awareness and suicide prevention. Denise directed the proceeds of these fundraisers towards the production of a television commercial aimed at men aged 30–50 struggling with anxiety and depression. In 2012, she testified before the House of Commons Health Committee in support of a national suicide prevention framework. Denise Batters was awarded the Canadian Association on Mental Illness and Mental Health Champion of Mental Health Award in 2015. In October 2017, she received a "Difference Maker" award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health for her work in the area of mental health.

Senator

In January 2013, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Senator Batters currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration. She is also a member of the Senate Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs, the Senate Standing Committee on Rules, Procedures and the Rights of Parliament, and the Subcommittee on Senate Communications.

Personal life

Denise Batters met her future husband, Dave Batters, in 1989, while they were crossing the street at a political convention. They married in 1997. Dave Batters served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for the federal Saskatchewan riding of Palliser from 2004-2008. After a battle with depression and anxiety, Dave died by suicide in 2009.