Denise Batters

Born in Regina, Batters received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Regina in 1991.[2] In 1994, she obtained her Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Saskatchewan and was admitted to the bar in 1995.[3]

Batters was in private practice until 2007 and was appointed Queen's Counsel in 2008.[3] From 2007 to 2012, she served as the Chief of Staff to Saskatchewan Minister of Justice Don Morgan.[3] From 2012 to 2013, Batters worked for Saskatchewan's Crown Investments Corporation as executive director of regulatory affairs.[4]

On June 29, 2009, Batters' husband, former Palliser Conservative Member of Parliament Dave Batters, died by suicide at the age of 39.[5] 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.[6] 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.[7] In 2012, she testified before the House of Commons Health Committee in support of a national suicide prevention framework.[8] Denise Batters was awarded the Canadian Association on Mental Illness and Mental Health (CAMIMH) Champion of Mental Health Award (Parliamentarian) in 2015.[9] In October 2017, she received a "Difference Maker" award from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for her work in the area of mental health.[10]

In January 2013, she was appointed to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister Stephen Harper.[11] Senator Batters currently serves as the Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee of Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration.[6] 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.[6]

Denise Batters met her future husband, Dave Batters, in 1989, while they were crossing the street at a political convention.[12] 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.[13]