Ontario MPPs have made history by electing the first female Speaker of the legislative assembly.
In a secret ballot vote Monday afternoon, Progressive Conservative MPP Donna Skelly was chosen as the 44th Speaker of Ontario.
She thanked Premier Doug Ford, her fellow MPPs, and her challenger for the role, NDP MPP Jennifer French. She said in her acceptance speech that she was "honoured" and "privileged" to be the new Speaker, but "more importantly," the first female one.
After the votes were cast, Skelly told reporters the moment she was announced was "overwhelming."
"It's a proud moment. I'm very honoured to be elected," she said.
"To be the first woman is incredible. It's, it's very, very special."
Ford said it was overdue.
"It's amazing that we have a woman as a Speaker, and I'm actually shocked it's taken this long to happen," he said.
Skelly, who was born in Sudbury, said she wants to help bridge the divide between Queen's Park and the North.
"I really felt growing up that there's a disconnect between rural and northern parts of our province and Toronto — in particular, this building," she said. "And I want to bring, somehow, the legislature to northern Ontario, to parts of rural Ontario. And how that looks yet, I'm not sure, but it will be one of my priorities, for sure."
Skelly also said she wants to "bring the temperature down" in the legislature.
"Politics is a very, very tough sport. It's a blood sport. And especially with social media, there are a lot of attacks on our politicians. We don't need to be attacking each other," she said. "You can be passionate, but let's not make it personal. And I've heard from all of my colleagues — they agree. They want to collaborate more, and they want to work closely."
Asked how she planned to keep her colleagues in line, Skelly said, "Throw 'em out. If they're not here, they can't act out."
Asked specifically about the premier, she said, "He's not too bad. He's not one of the biggest offenders, to be very honest with you."
Skelly was the deputy Speaker in the previous parliament.
She was almost beaten to the role of the first female Speaker — Ford endorsed PC MPP Nina Tangri in the 2022 election, but former PC MPP Ted Arnott defeated her to retain his position. Arnott did not run for re-election in 2025.
This time, a female Speaker was all but guaranteed, as French was Skelly's only challenger. Like Skelly, French has also spent time in the Speaker's chair, having previously been a deputy chair of the committee of the whole.
Before she was elected, Skelly said French was an "exceptional woman" and an "exceptional colleague." Despite a PC majority in the legislature, Skelly gave French her due, saying, "You never know" what the results would be.
MPPs voted by secret paper ballot in the legislature, meaning they can break with their party without it ever being known.
As votes were being dropped off, members of all parties chatted and mingled in the aisles, as it was the first day back in session from the winter and election break. Electing a Speaker was the only order of business on Monday.
They were interrupted by a loud, "Or-der!" from the clerk, who made sure everyone cast a vote. The votes were tallied for a few minutes, after which Skelly was announced as the winner.
The house erupted in applause, and some cheers from the PC side, as Skelly hugged several of her colleagues on both sides of the aisle, including French.
As is tradition, she was "dragged" down to the Speaker's chair by fellow Tories Laurie Scott and Will Bouma.
"Her-story!" came from the NDP benches after she took her new seat.
Skelly was recruited to the PCs under former leader Patrick Brown, and was first elected in 2018 after two unsuccessful runs at the Liberal incumbent, Ted McMeekin, and a short stint on Hamilton City Council.
Before politics, she was a broadcast journalist with Hamilton's CHCH.
