Former MP Bev Desjarlais remembered as “an unbelievably hard worker’

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This article was published 18/03/2018 (2231 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Former Churchill MP Bev Desjarlais passed away in Brandon on Thursday at the age of 62.

Her son, Brandon Coun. Kris Desjarlais (Rosser), said his mother was surrounded by family at the time of her death.

Beverly, known simply as Bev, was first elected as the NDP MP for Churchill in 1997, defeating Liberal Elijah Harper, and won re-election in 2000 and 2004.

She moved to Brandon in early 2012 and was diagnosed with multiple system atrophy, known as a rapid moving form Parkinson’s disease, in late 2013.

A celebration of Desjarlais’s life will be held at Knox United Church in Brandon on April 7 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Multiple System Atrophy Coalition in her memory.

She is survived by her three sons, Kris, Steven and Patrick, 11 grandchildren and seven living brothers and sisters.

“She was an unbelievably hard worker and you can ask anybody who was a resident of northern Manitoba for those nine years, there was not a single call that went into my mom’s office that wasn’t answered and that work wasn’t done on behalf of that constituent, not a one, and I wish I had that same kind of work ethic,” Kris said.

Condolences came in on Twitter from Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister, who described Desjarlais as a “dedicated public servant who always put Manitobans first and fervently stood by her beliefs and convictions.”

Timmins-James Bay NDP MP Charlie Angus offered his sympathies to Desjarlais’s family, saying in a tweet: “I served in Parliament with Bev. She was such a decent and hardworking person. Your goodness will get you to a better place my friend”

Former Brandon-Souris Progressive Conservative MP Rick Borotsik said even though Desjarlais was from a different political party, they both could relate from the fact they both represented Manitoba.

“I enjoyed working with her, quite frankly,” he said.

Borotsik described Bev as a well-respected member in the House of Commons who worked hard for both her party and constituents.

“All I can say is I’m very unhappy to hear that she’s no longer with us,” Borotsik said. “She was a good lady.”

Former Brandon East NDP MLA Drew Caldwell said he was saddened to learn of Desjarlais’s passing.

Caldwell said he saw Desjarlais over the Christmas holidays and knew she had a very dignified passing alongside her family.

“Bev was a very feisty MP and I got along with her very, very well,” Caldwell said.

Desjarlais split from the NDP in 2005 and sat as an independent after she was relegated to the party’s back bench over her opposition to same-sex marriage.

She later lost the NDP nomination in Churchill to sitting MP Niki Ashton, eventually working in the Department of Veterans Affairs.

While his mother may have had “hard and fast convictions,” Kris Desjarlais said it was hard to hear people call her a religious bigot for so many years because of her stance on same-sex marriage.

“It’s sad to me. I wish people knew really who she was.”

Kris said his mother worked with people of all political stripes, and in spite of their differing opinions, she could still respect them fully.

He himself went “toe-to-toe” with his mother on same-sex marriage, but beyond that issue, Kris said his mother was a staunch proponent of workers, pay equity and Indigenous rights.

What has been “heartwarming,” Kris said, is the number of people who have reached out to him and his family, thanking his mother for the work she did and the influence she had on them.

“It’s helping us get through this and I’m proud of her that that’s her legacy. That’s what people should know,” he said.

“We can acknowledge the other piece, but we shouldn’t allow it to define her, especially in this time.”

» mlee@brandonsun.com

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