Meet Donna Skelly

On April 14, 2025, Donna Skelly was elected  Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario – the first female in Ontario to hold this prestigious position .

Donna has represented the Hamilton riding of Flamborough-Glanbrook since 2018. She is an enthusiastic and outspoken advocate for constituents, fighting to make life more affordable for people across the province.

She is a passionate advocate for human trafficking prevention and awareness  and has worked with Commonwealth Nations to help combat this horrific crime world-wide. She  also advocated for legislative changes to protect children against sex trafficking by including child sex traffickers on the Ontario Sex Offender Registry.

Prior to her election as Speaker, Donna was the Deputy-Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Chair of the Committee of the Whole House, and  Vice-Chair of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. She has also served as Parliamentary Assistant to the Attorney General and to the Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade.

Donna was appointed to the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association in 2023 which represents Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff from over 180 national, state, provincial and territorial Parliaments and Legislatures across the Commonwealth.

Prior to entering provincial politics, Donna served on Hamilton City Council where she served on the Audit, Finance and Administration Committee,  Mayor’s Intelligent Community Sub-Committee, Art Gallery of Hamilton, Hamilton Arts Council  and the Hamilton Status of Women Committee. She also served on the National Advisory Board for Canadian Culture, as well as Banyon Community Services, a not-for-profit agency that works with youth at risk. Donna was recognized for her contribution to her community when she was named the YWCA Woman of the Year in Politics.

Donna entered politics after a successful 30-year career in broadcast journalism.  She has worked across Ontario and Quebec at media outlets such as CHIP-FM Radio in Fort Coulonge, Quebec, CHRO TV Radio in Pembroke, CKWS-TV in Kingston, and CHCH in Hamilton.

Donna grew up in Capreol just outside Sudbury. She’s a graduate of the broadcast journalism program at Seneca College in Toronto. She has a keen understanding of the strengths and challenges facing communities across the province and works tirelessly on behalf of her constituents to make life better now and for future generations.