The first woman speaker at Queen's Park is focusing on her northern Ontario roots

CBC News

· Posted: May 08, 2025 11:07 AM EDT | Last Updated: May 8

A confederate Ontario MPP who was precocious appointed talker astatine Queen's Park says she's looking for ways to fortify the transportation betwixt the legislature and the north.

Donna Skelly, who grew up successful the Capreol country of what is contiguous Greater Sudbury, was elected arsenic Ontario's archetypal pistillate talker connected April 14. 

"My begetter was a railroad technologist and my ma was 1 of 4 women who worked arsenic a caput successful the mine," said the Progressive Conservative MPP for Flamborough-Glanbrook.

"I went to Marymount College and erstwhile I was 17, I graduated from precocious schoolhouse and headed to Toronto and studied broadcasting."

Skelly worked successful journalism for 30-years, with jobs astatine CHIP-FM Radio successful Fort Coulonge, Quebec, CHRO TV Radio successful Pembroke, CKWS-TV successful Kingston and CHCH successful Hamilton.

From there, she was elected to metropolis assembly successful Hamilton, earlier entering provincial politics.

Despite being based successful confederate Ontario, she said she has ne'er forgotten her bluish roots.

"I perfectly emotion the northbound and I volition beryllium focusing a ample portion of my clip and my efforts volition beryllium focused connected bluish Ontario," she said.

"I'm truly hoping that they tin bring the legislature to the northbound and the northbound to the radical of Queen's Park."

To bash that, Skelly said she's going to proceed to enactment with MPPs successful the region.

"Next year, we volition beryllium bringing the legislative acquisition component, what the talker does, to each riding successful bluish Ontario," she said.

"And I'm hoping to spell backmost to Sudbury and to Nickel Belt, to bring the sword and the legislature to immoderate of the simple schools."

As for her relation arsenic speaker, Skelly said she is comfy with her relation policing the behaviour of her chap MPPs. 

"People successful Ontario bash not privation to spot their politicians bickering and acting similar children," she said.

"I judge already, we person seen an elevated decorum successful the house. People are a spot much respectful and I mean to marque definite that is maintained passim the adjacent 4 years."