Reaction from Montrealers was mixed, but perhaps with more weight on the celebratory side, when news broke, this morning, that Mayor Valerie Plante would not seek reelection. “Despite all the love that I have for my work and for our city,” Plante said at a news conference announcing her decision, “I won’t be asking Montrealers for a third term as mayor.” Plante is in the final stretch of her second of two terms, first taking office in 2017.
She had previously said that she would seek a third tem. So what changed her mind? “Recently I came to realize that I couldn’t commit to another four years and guarantee Montrealers the same level of energy I’ve always given.” Last December Plante suddenly fell ill during a news conference, nearly passing out, an incident she chalked up to stress and exhaustion.
But she said, this morning, “I’m fine. I’m all good, and I will fully assume my duties as mayor until the end of my mandate.” Earlier this year Plante received criticism for blocking comments on her X (formerly Twitter) account, as well as on the Project Montreal account.
She defended the decision by calling out the abuse she had been subjected to. “Some may think there's a fundamental right to call a person an 'idiot' or a 'bitch',” she posted, “and to normalize violence online. I don't think so.
” Plante won the leadership of Project Montreal in 2016, and was elected mayor the following November as the first woman to be elected to the position in .