Who will take Valérie Plante's place?

Photo: Christinne Muschi The Canadian Press Valérie Plante announced on Wednesday, October 23, 2024 that she will not seek a third term as mayor of Montreal.

Jeanne Corriveau and Marco Fortier

Published at 18:31

• Montreal

The bets are open for Valérie Plante’s succession in the 2025 Montreal mayoral race. Both Projet Montréal and Ensemble Montréal are preparing leadership races. Who will want to try to access the position of mayor in a year's time ?

The day after Valérie Plante announced that she would not seek a third term, Rosemont MNA Vincent Marissal found himself on the grill during a press briefing at the National Assembly on Thursday morning. The former journalist did not rule out a possible run for mayor of Montreal. “I’m talking to myself about it,” he said. “I need to discuss. Politics is also a family matter.”

Within Projet Montréal itself, several names are circulating to succeed Valérie Plante. Mayor of Plateau-Mont-Royal since 2019, Luc Rabouin became president of the executive committee last year in the wake of the controversy surrounding the Office de consultation publique de Montréal.

Other Projet Montréal elected officials could also want to run for the leadership, such as Robert Beaudry, responsible for urban planning on the executive committee, Gracia Kasoki Katahwa, mayor of Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce, Laurence Lavigne Lalonde, mayor of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension, and Émilie Thuillier, mayor of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, it is suggested behind the scenes.

Steven Guilbeault ?

A long-time Projet Montréal activist, Daniel Sanger hopes that candidates from outside the party will try to succeed Valérie Plante. He believes that this is an important point of view within Projet Montréal. “If we only had internal candidates, I would be disappointed,” says this activist who published in 2021 Save the city. Projet Montréal and the challenge of transforming a modern metropolis, a detailed essay on the party’s history.

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He would welcome the candidacy of Steven Guilbeault, federal Minister of the Environment and MNA for Laurier–Sainte-Marie, which includes Le Plateau-Mont-Royal — the birthplace of Projet Montréal. The party had tried in vain to convince him to make the jump to municipal politics about ten years ago, when he was leading the organization Équiterre.

This star candidate would spark “a very healthy and probably lively discussion” within the party, according to Daniel Sanger. The Trudeau government’s mixed record on the environment and Guilbeault’s refusal to join Projet Montréal could dampen the ardour of some activists. But the minister’s notoriety, his communication skills, his experience and his knowledge of the issues would make him a very valuable candidate, according to Daniel Sanger.

And many others…

He would also not be surprised if Glenn Castanheira, general manager of the Société de développement commercial du centre-ville de Montréal, entered the race to succeed Valérie Plante. This “ambitious and competent” personality has already dreamed of the Plateau-Mont-Royal mayoralty, according to Mr. Sanger.

Castanheira was in the camp of Guillaume Lavoie, Valérie Plante’s opponent in the Projet Montréal leadership race in 2016. The majority of the party’s elected officials supported Lavoie, but Valérie Plante won a narrow victory with 52% of the vote.

Other possible candidates are being discussed, such as that of Mélanie Joly, a high-profile minister in the Trudeau government. A candidate for mayor in 2013, when she was little known to the general public, she created a surprise and made an impression even though Denis Coderre ultimately won.

Could former Plateau-Mont-Royal mayor Luc Ferrandez, who left Projet Montréal in a big way in 2019, return to the municipal arena? ? The former elected official, with strong and sometimes divisive opinions, host of 98.5, admits to having received many requests in this regard. “No one can say never. But it’s not at all in my short-term plans,” he nevertheless indicated to Devoir.

The possible candidacy of François William Croteau, former mayor of the borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie and columnist for Devoir, was also mentioned. “It’s a categorical no,” he told Devoir. I’m so happy right now with my freedom of expression and the stomach ulcers I no longer have.”

A candidate for mayor in 2021 at the head of his party called Mouvement Montréal, Balarama Holness could reappear in a new municipal election. “A lot of work has been done in the background. However, we will not be making an announcement at this time,” he said in an email to Devoir.

During the last municipal elections in 2021, the name of former Liberal minister David Heurtel was circulated as a potential candidate for mayor, before he gave up on the project. This time again, his name is being mentioned behind the scenes.

Read also

• Vincent Marissal does not close the door to a candidacy for mayor of Montreal
• Valérie Plante will not be in the next municipal elections
• A path punctuated by obstacles for the “mayor of mobility”