Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante sends message against cynicism as she meets successor

MONTREAL — Montreal Mayor Valérie Plante delivered a message against political polarization and cynicism on Wednesday as she met her successor at city hall during her final days in the city’s top job.

After meeting with mayor-elect Soraya Martinez Ferrada, the outgoing mayor spoke with media for a final time before she steps away from the role she has held since 2017.

Martinez Ferrada defeated Luc Rabouin — Plante’s successor as the head of the Projet Montréal party — on her way to a convincing victory in Sunday’s mayoral race.

Plante, who announced last year she would not seek a third term, said she was feeling “serene” about the decision to leave as she waited to greet Martinez Ferrada with a handshake.

After the two had a meeting, Plante said she wanted to make a public gesture of support for the incoming team at a time when cynicism and division seems to be growing.

“Often in these troubled times there can be a lot of polarization and fights over ideas, and it gets kind of black or white all the time,” Plante said. “If this can help to show that it’s about supporting the next team, even though it’s not my team that did win, that I do wish them luck and want to do the right thing for them.”

The outgoing mayor said the two discussed major housing projects, a subway line extension and the fight against homelessness. She described the legacy of Projet Montréal as one of championing progressive values, including the environment, safer travel, improving the quality of life in neighbourhoods, and “not leaving anyone behind.”

Ahead of their meeting, Martinez Ferrada thanked Plante for breaking a glass ceiling when she was elected as the city’s first female mayor eight years ago. “I know it wasn’t always easy for you,” she said, noting the criticism that has been directed Plante’s way.

“We’re all humans and I think you had your share of messages on social media and I find you courageous for that, to have been there eight years, to watch you smile and keep that energetic spirit,” Martinez Ferrada said.

Martinez Ferrada, a former federal cabinet minister, inherits a number of challenges including a growing homelessness crisis and a strike by public transit workers causing widespread challenges for workers and businesses.

She has promised to reverse some of the policies of her left-leaning predecessor, including replacing a housing bylaw aimed at forcing developers to build social and affordable housing with a new approach she says will be based on incentives and partnership.

She has also promised to “audit” the city’s many bike paths, which have become a flashpoint for anger by citizens opposed to Plante’s eco-conscious agenda. On Wednesday, Martinez Ferrada said she’d learned that two reports on the state of the paths already existed, and said she hopes to make them public. She also promised to meet the head of a cycling group and has requested a list of accidents and complaints surrounding the paths. She declined to say what might happen to bike paths until she has read the report.

Martinez Ferrada was also asked what advice Plante had imparted during their meeting. “Don’t look at your social media,” she responded, drawing laughs from the room.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2025.

Morgan Lowrie, The Canadian Press