Montreal election today: Valérie Plante and Denis Coderre in a rematch for mayor

Montrealers are heading to the polls today to pick a new mayor following a campaign that saw the last election’s incumbent and challenger swap roles.

Incumbent Mayor Valérie Plante is looking for a second mandate and running against Denis Coderre, the one-term Montreal mayor she beat in 2017.

Plante, whose first term was shaped by the COVID-19 pandemic, says she improved the quality of life in the city and is promising to focus on fighting climate change and building more social housing.

Codere, a former federal Liberal cabinet minister, says the city has become dirtier and more dangerous since he left office, and he is promising to boost Montreal’s image internationally.

It’s not just Montrealers who are voting today: Quebecers across the province are choosing their mayors and city councillors, with results expected by the end of the night.

In Quebec City, voters are choosing a replacement for Régis Labeaume, who stepped down after more than a decade in municipal politics.

Polls are open across the province from 9:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.

In Montreal, the final days of the campaign turned nasty, with the two main candidates accusing each other of lacking integrity. Coderre accused Plante of not caring about sexual assault victims and Plante attacked Coderre for hiding his business dealings.

CBC reported last week that Plante had been informed of sexual assault allegations dating back to 2012 against one of her party’s city councillors. This seemed to conflict with Plante’s comment last year that she had no knowledge of sexual assault or sexual harassment allegations against any members of her party.

Craig Sauve, who has denied the allegations and was not charged, announced Thursday he was leaving Plante’s party to sit as an Independent if re-elected.

Coderre, after initially refusing to release his tax returns, published the names of his private clients since 2017, which included Cogir, a large real estate company, and the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, a pro-car lobby group and governing body for motorsport events — including Formula E, whose former Montreal edition Coderre promoted as mayor.

Plante said Coderre’s reluctance to release his financial information shows his definition of transparency is “elastic.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Nov. 7, 2021.

The Canadian Press