Patricia Janet Mella was Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is a Canadian province consisting of an island of the same name, as well as other islands. The maritime province is the smallest in the nation in both land area and population...

 PC party leader from 1990 to 1996.

She was born Patricia MacDougall in Port Hill, Prince Edward Island and was educated at Saint Dunstan's University

Saint Dunstan's University

St. Dunstan's University is a former university which was located on the northern outskirts of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. SDU merged with Prince of Wales College in 1969 to form the University of Prince Edward Island.St...

 and the University of Prince Edward Island

University of Prince Edward Island

The University of Prince Edward Island is a public liberal arts university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the sole university in the province. Founded in 1969, it traces its roots back to its two earlier predecessor organizations, St. Dunstan's University and Prince of Wales...

. A teacher and lecturer, she married Angelo Mella while teaching at St. Patrick's College

University of Ottawa

The University of Ottawa is a bilingual, research-intensive, non-denominational, international university in Ottawa, Ontario. It is one of the oldest universities in Canada. It was originally established as the College of Bytown in 1848 by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate...

 in Ottawa.

Mella entered political life, having been an unsuccessful candidate in the 1989 provincial election as a member of the Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party

Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party

The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island is one of two major political parties on Prince Edward Island. It and its rival, the Liberals have alternated in power since responsible government was granted in 1851 and are the only two parties represented in the PEI Legislative...

. She served as the Leader of the Official Opposition from 1990-1996. She represented 3rd Queens

3rd Queens

3rd Queens was an electoral district in the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, which elected two members to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island from 1873 to 1993.The district comprised the northeastern portion of Queens County....

 and then Glen Stewart-Bellevue Cove in the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island

The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, along with the Lieutenant-Governor, forms the parliament of the province. The General Assembly meets at Province House, which is located at the intersection of Richmond and Great George Streets in Charlottetown....

 from 1993 to 2003.

Elected with the government of premier Pat Binns

Pat Binns

Patrick George Binns , is a Canadian diplomat who was named Ambassador to Ireland on August 30, 2007.Binns has a long history of public service, most notably being the 30th Premier of Prince Edward Island, holding office from 1996 to 2007, during which time he was the leader of the Prince Edward...

 in 1996, she served as Provincial Treasurer (Minister of Finance) until 2003.

Mella retired from politics following the September 29, 2003 provincial general election and did not reoffer.

In 2004, Mella was appointed with Douglas MacArthur and Matt Power to chair the Prince Edward Island Conservative Party of Canada

Conservative Party of Canada

The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...

federal election campaign.