Embarking on an era of firsts at city hall
History will be made in more than one way Thursday when Valérie Plante officially takes over as mayor of Montreal.
The 43-year-old mother of two becomes the first woman to hold the city’s highest office. But that’s not the only first at city hall.
This is also the first time more women were elected than men; the first time Projet Montréal, Plante’s party, has had a majority on city council; the first time there will be gender parity on the executive committee, if the new mairesse follows through on her promise.
A changing of the guard is taking place.
The old boys’ club is out. The foreseeable future is female. And while the average age of the new council is 50, Plante and many members of her team belong to a younger generation, signalling a shift in Montreal’s power dynamic.
“We often talk about young people as the leaders of tomorrow, but there’s a need for us now,” said Sophie Mauzerolle, one of the fresh faces.
At 30 years old and 33 weeks pregnant, her victory in the Ste-Marie district of Ville-Marie was a “pleasant surprise.” Mauzerolle was Plante’s stand-in, campaigning for her council seat in case she lost the mayoral race. But with Plante shattering the glass ceiling of the mayor’s office, the council job is now Mauzerolle’s.
The mother of a three-year-old daughter is expecting a son, due Christmas Day. She said she got “nothing but positive reaction from voters” going door-to-door with a growing belly.
“It’s about being representative,” said the first-time councillor. “As a young woman, as a mother with young kids, I have certain priorities and preoccupations that men of a certain age simply don’t.”
Mauzerolle said the youth and energy of Plante’s administration are an asset.
Indeed, what some might call a relative lack of political experience within the new administration, others see as a breath of fresh air, an infusion of new blood, a shedding of the baggage that inevitably weighs down officeholders after a certain time.
“We have skills, we have expertise. In some ways, like when it comes to technology, we’re even better equipped than the present generation,” Mauzerolle said. “That said, we’re not looking to eradicate all that experience.”
If so many women are poised to take on leadership roles, said Émilie Thuillier, the new borough mayor of AhuntsicCartierville, it’s because of Projet Montréal’s commitment to recruiting female candidates.
“It bore results,” said Thuillier, 38, who already has two terms as a councillor under her belt. “It shows that when there’s a will, progress can be achieved. We took a giant step forward.”
If the same effort had been put in championing diversity, then perhaps Montreal would have even more to celebrate.
Cathy Wong, the first Asian woman, and Marie-Josée Parent, the first Indigenous person, will also be sworn in as city councillors for Peter McGill district and Champlain–L’Île-des-Soeurs, respectively. Important barriers were broken with their victories, but both ran under the banner of Équipe Denis Coderre. And they remain among only a handful of city councillors who belong to minority groups, most of whom are in opposition.
This lack of representation is a problem for a modern, forward-facing city, one the Plante administration will have to make efforts to overcome.
But the winds of change are blowing fast and furious. The same gale forces buffeted Ottawa in 2015, bringing Justin Trudeau’s Liberals to power. The Gen X prime minister created the first federal cabinet with an equal number of men and women, made it better reflect Canada’s cultural diversity, and put youth in key roles. Two years later, Trudeau is the oldest party leader in the House of Commons.
Similarly, a youthful newcomer rode an anti-establishment tide to power in France. President Emmanuel Macron ousted the traditional parties with his dynamic En Marche movement.
When it comes to shoving aside the establishment, perhaps no victory was more surprising than the Projet Montréal sweep in Lachine. Previously a city councillor, Maja Vodanovic beat out Claude Dauphin as borough mayor, who had been a fixture at city hall since 2002.
Vodanovic said Lachine has changed, with more young families and more youth who want to be involved. It is ready for new ideas and new ways of doing things.
“They’re closer to me in their way of thinking. I understand what they need,” said, Vodanovic, 49, who has two children in their 20s. “Women have that capacity to listen and to communicate. When you’re a mom, you know how to put other people first. … We’re not just doing it to shine. We’re doing things for (other) generations.”
Vodanovic said she’s not worried about the new administration’s enthusiasm colliding with a recalcitrant bureaucracy or institutional inertia. On the contrary.
“We have an incredible amount of really competent public works people,” she said. “I’ve seen talent and I’ve seen knowledge. They have so much knowledge but it wasn’t used. They weren’t listened to. I think there’s some frustration.”
At 54, outgoing mayor Denis Coderre wasn’t by any means old. But his style of politics was decidedly old school.
Rosannie Filato, 30, a labour lawyer who was just elected to council for the first time in Villeray, said there is a recognition among the new guard that change will only come gradually — and by bringing people on board.
“I don’t know if you’ve heard the phrase ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast?’ We have to take the time to have these discussions,” Filato said. “Culture doesn’t change, the status quo doesn’t change from one day to the next.”
Montreal is on the doorstep of a new era. Whether high expectations are ultimately fulfilled remains to be seen. But this is, without a doubt, a remarkable moment in this city’s long and storied history.
We have skills, we have expertise. In some ways, like when it comes to technology, we’re even better equipped than the present generation.