Categories: Capital Read, Inside the Queensway

Condolences …

by kadyomalley on Tuesday, June 30, 2009 2:22pm - 25 Comments

… to the family and friends of Dave Batters. Like I said last year when the news of his condition first broke, this sucks. I just wish that I’d been right when I predicted that we’d see him back on the Hill someday.

UPDATE: From the Prime Minister’s Office:

“I was saddened to hear of the tragic death of my former Caucus colleague and fellow Member of Parliament David Batters.

“Those of us who knew and worked with Dave will remember him as a friend and colleague who worked tirelessly on behalf of his constituents in Palliser.

“Dave ultimately lost his struggle with severe depression, but we should use his loss as a reminder that mental health illnesses affect Canadians in every walk of life. Too often Canadians, such as Dave, suffer in silence out of fear of being stigmatized for their illness.

“On behalf of our Conservative Caucus, I extend heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.”

Tags: dave batters

More by kadyomalley

http://intensedebate.com/people/Norm_d_Minotaur Norm_d_Minotaur

I think we all wish you were right Kady. My deepest sympathies go out to Mr Batters' family, friends and colleagues. Regardless of anyone may think of his political party or the policies he supported, his death is a loss. He, like most politicians, entered the political arena to make the country a better place.

I recall reading a story in the BBC last year discussing mental health issues among their MPs. If I recall it stated that about a fifth of MPs suffered from mental health issues but the majority feared discussing the issue because of the expected response from other MPs and the media.

Maybe the death of Mr Batters will lead to an investigation and willingness to discuss mental health problem in Ottawa. At least then some good would come from this tragic day.
Dave

Terrible news.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Norm_d_Minotaur Norm_d_Minotaur

I think we all wish you were right Kady. My deepest sympathies go out to Mr Batters' family, friends and colleagues. Regardless of what anyone may think of his political party or the policies he supported, his death is a loss. He, like most politicians, entered the political arena to make the country a better place.

I recall reading a story in the BBC last year discussing mental health issues among their MPs. If I recall it stated that about a fifth of MPs suffered from mental health issues but the majority feared discussing the issue because of the expected response from other MPs and the media.

Maybe the death of Mr Batters will lead to an investigation and willingness to discuss mental health problem in Ottawa. At least then some good would come from this tragic day.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

Condolences to the Batters family.

It's an issue that transcends Ottawa. I think the message out the PMO should be taken to heart.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Norm_d_Minotaur Norm_d_Minotaur

Did not mean to imply that the issue is limited to Ottawa, as countless families across Canada and the globe are dealing with this everyday. Sadly, however, it sometimes necessary for a high profile arena (such as celebrities or politicians) to bring serious discussions to the public. I do not see why they could not and should not take a public leadership role, especially if they too have a large number of members struggling with depression.
http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Norm_d_Minotaur Norm_d_Minotaur

I did not mean to imply that the issue is limited to Ottawa, as countless families across Canada and the globe are dealing with this everyday. Sadly, however, it sometimes necessary for a high profile arena (such as celebrities or politicians) to bring serious discussions to the public. I do not see why members of the House of Commons could not and should not take a public leadership role, especially if they too have a large number of members struggling with depression.

Despite what some people might think of politicians in Canada, they are all men and women who suffer from the same ailments as everyone else in this country. The House of Commons should do all it can to provide for the health of its members. An open discussion on mental health issues among MPs could not hurt in developing a health policy for its members.

http://www.intensedebate.com/people/Ed_Sweeney Ed_Sweeney

Condolences to the Batters family.

It's an issue that transcends Ottawa. I think the message sent out by the PMO should be taken to heart.

http://darcymeyers.wordpress.com Darcy Meyers

What a tragedy…I feel for his family and friends..
John D

He was very brave man for bringing light to these issues. It's so tragic that he was not able to overcome them. I am sure he helped some Canadians come to grip with their own problems, however. So sad.
http://intensedebate.com/people/sea_n_mountains sea_n_mountains

Deepest sympathies go out to Mr Batters' family.
http://intensedebate.com/people/Wascally_Wabbit Wascally_Wabbit

I have a sense of what Mr. Batters' family is going through…in that I fielded the transAtlantic call from my in-laws that informed my wife and I that her younger brother had taken his life in his mid-30s.
We all recognized that he was depressed and were trying to help – but never thought that his pain would take him that far…
So painful for the family left behind – wondering what else they might have done!
http://intensedebate.com/people/Crit_Reasoning Crit_Reasoning

This is very sad. My condolences to Mr. Batters' family. Hopefully this will raise awareness that mental illness is a serious health issue that affects Canadians from all walks of life.

Mulletaur

Agreed. We do pretty well at physical ailments, we fail miserably at meeting the health care needs of the mentally ill. We must do better.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

So very sad and so very young. Politics seems like the wrong game for someone so fragile.

Condolences to his family.

james

"Politics seems like the wrong game for someone so fragile."

1. Mr. Batters was not fragile: he showed great strength and courage in battling his illness so openly.

2. If politics is the wrong game (i.e. too combative, too destructive) for people like Mr. Batters, then our focus should be on changing the game. We all lose when decent individuals like Dave Batters can no longer serve as our representatives.

http://intensedebate.com/people/OntarioTown OntarioTown

This is not the time to argue for heavens sake. He fought yes, but wasn't strong enough to win it. I certainly don't need lectures on this.

It's happened in my family.

The family member was also brave in his fight……but fragile at the same time.

http://intensedebate.com/people/Norm_d_Minotaur Norm_d_Minotaur

Well said James!
Sea Otter

Suicide cuts a terrible path of destruction through the family and friends of the deceased. Notwithstanding the fact that Dave Batters was publicly battling depression and mental illness, his family and friends will still be haunted by rapidly alternating thoughts of guilt and anger, wondering if there was something they could have done to prevent this day from happening. I have been there, and it was the most wrenching experience of my life.
MJ Patchouli

I knew Dave and his wife, not well but socially, and he was for a time my MP. I don't understand how you think he was fighting publicly because he wasn't: the poor guy just disappeared when he stepped down just before the writ was dropped last year. I don't think he ever got well enough to do what he likely wanted to do within the public eye. I agree with the poster who said he was fragile — he was vulnerable and struggling.

He was a really nice, endearing guy, and well-liked as an MP. It's almost a year to the day since he tried to commit suicide last Canada Day. I extend condolences to Denise and his family, and I hope Dave is finally at peace.

http://intensedebate.com/people/KadyITQ KadyITQ

Well, it was public in the sense that the public knew, and he was a public figure. Hard enough to go through something like this in private, I can't imagine what it would be like for someone who had once sought out such a prominent role within his community. It really is just incredibly sad.

MJ Patchouli

It was never made public until he had stepped out of public office, and surprisingly well hidden until that day — leading to too much gossip and speculation that was simply cruel or just plain wrong. Mental illness is so stigmatized (as pointed out in the PMO release) that people don't want to talk about it publicly because they fear being shunned — and when Dave's illness was announced last fall, some people who should have stood by him did not. Some disappeared altogether. The nastier side of politics.

I know Dave did want to bring attention to mental illness, but he never got the chance. I hope one of his former colleagues, or some of his friends in the province here, will step up and take on the work he would have liked to see done. In Dave's name, and for the benefit of the public.

Mulletaur

"Mental illness is so stigmatized … "

Yes, and considering the number of people who suffer from mental illness, this really hurts us as a society. Physical illness is considered something out of our control, whereas mental illness is considered a kind of weakness or frailty. This must change. Even those who are able to function more or less while carrying the burden of a mental illness could probably benefit from a tune up. We need to get policy makers to take this much more seriously.

http://intensedebate.com/people/SophiaGeffros SophiaGeffros

What a tragedy.
I only hope it raises awareness of mental illness and depression. It can strike anybody, of any age, at any time.
Bonnie N

What an awful turn of events

For his family and friends; this is just the last result one could have anticipated. It is very hard to express the deep sorrow we feel but Kady probably expresses it best – this sucks.

I did not know the man or share his political views but the untimely loss to depression is shared by a great deal of Canadians who have dealt with mental illness in their own lives with family and friends.
http://intensedebate.com/people/madeyoulook madeyoulook

This awful disease claims another victim, and leaves many loved ones behind to mourn. I have been lucky to be spared such a tragedy in a close friend or relative, so I can only imagine how Mr Batters's loved ones will be unfairly second-guessing their words and actions. Deep and sincere condolences to all who were close to him, should they come across this page.