Montreal’s mayor is leaving politics, and she’s not alone. Is it the toxic climate for women?

Montreal Mayor Valerie Plante took a long breath and announced Wednesday she would not seek a third mandate, saying she could not guarantee her constituents another four years with the same energy level she had given to the job she loves.

Her decision has many talking about the demands of municipal leadership, particularly for women.

“There are many things to improve,” Quebec Families Minister Suzanne Roy said.

Plante said when she jumped into political life, she saw it as a way to change the world, and when she became the first woman at the helm of Montreal in 2017, a touching scene unfolded on the steps of city hall. A woman congratulated the new mayor and set up her young daughter to pose for a photo with the newly elected leader.

“We never had a woman mayor before,” Plante told the girl. “Maybe one day you will be mayor, or maybe prime minister, wouldn’t that be cool?”

Plante was relatively unknown then but managed to topple Denis Coderre, a veteran politician who had been styled as the king of Montreal. Part of her appeal was her energy and jovial, friendly tone.

But over her seven-year reign, Plante has faced threats of violence and a flood of online hate.

Last month, she restricted public comments on her social media posts on X and Instagram, saying that while some people felt it was their fundamental right to throw out insults, and to normalize violence, she did not find this acceptable. Her office said the move was also designed to limit discriminatory, disrespectful and sexist replies.

Incivility in politics and what many elected officials see as a toxic climate has pushed them out of office in recent years.

Just months ago, Gatineau Mayor France Belisle resigned citing extreme harassment.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Amanda McDougall-Merrill announced she would not seek another mandate in the spring. She said the vitriol she had faced impacted her entire family.

“(The campaign) is not something I want to go through again,” she said in May during an interview with CTV News. “I don’t want to be focused on solely because of my gender. I remember there was a hashtag on social media called KnockedUpMandy during my mayoral campaign. You can’t unhear, you can’t unsee, you can’t unknow what you do know.”

But women politicians also say their role is crucial in a democracy, and that while the job demands many sacrifices, it is also rewarding. They point to Plante as a leader who had strong convictions.

“Leading Montreal is a very demanding job,” said Roy, Quebec’s families minister, who added Plante took on the role with aplomb.

Part of Plante’s legacy when she steps down next year will include her landmark plan expanding the city’s bike lane network that prompted both applause and complaints. She also spoke of her resolve to prepare the city to face climate change, and to make roads safer. Some Montrealers responded to her departure praising her work, others saying it was time for her to step down and bring in new energy.

The mayor did not take questions at her news conference announcing she would not seek a new mandate, and did not explain whether the threats, the political climate or online hate played a part in her decision.

But she did say she intended to leave city hall as she entered it: doing it her way.

“In the next year, I won’t be slowing down,” she said. “Just watch me.”