Valérie Plante served as the 45^th Mayor of Montréal from 2017 to 2025. She was first elected in 2013 as city councillor for the downtown district of Saint-Marie and was chosen by Projet Montréal members to lead the party in 2016.

The first female mayor in Montréal’s history, Ms. Plante’s two terms ushered in bold public policies aimed at building a more affordable, more resilient, and more people-centered city. Under her administration, the city made significant progress in terms of greenhouse gas emissions reduction and adapting to the damaging impacts of climate change.

Throughout her time in elected office she also worked for improved public policy internationally through her role as C40’s Vice President for North America.

Ms. Plante holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology, a master’s degree in museology, as well as a certificate in intervention in multiethnic settings, all from the Université de Montréal. She has recently returned to her alma mater, to lecture and mentor in the Faculty of Arts and Science’s Maison des affaires publiques et internationals.

Before entering politics, Ms. Plante worked as a communications officer for various cultural organizations and gained extensive hands-on experience with several community organizations, including the Fondation Filles d’action, a non-profit organization that funds programs designed to strengthen the capacity of girls across Canada to take action.

She is the author of three books, with her first novel, Grenades, recently published by Leméac.

Ms. Plante is a recipient of the Jean-Paul-L’Allier Award from the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec and, in 2022, was named an honorary graduate of Université de Montréal’s Faculty of Continuing Education.

Her latest project is the documentary-style TV series Ça brasse en ville. Airing on TV5+, the series follows Ms. Plante as she travels to global metropolises to explore how urban systems are organized and transformed by their citizens.