Women in Governance congratulates Valérie Plante (Projet Montréal) and highlights the achievement of parity in the leadership of the 10 largest cities in Quebec

MONTRÉAL, Monday, November 8, 2021 — On the heels of a historic municipal election, Women in Governance (WiG) would like to congratulate all women candidates and elected officials across all parties, especially Projet Montréal and its leader Valérie Plante for the second mandate obtained yesterday.

“ We congratulate Valérie Plante and her team and recognize the importance of the re-election of a woman as mayor in Montreal, Quebec's metropolis and an internationally renowned city! In 2021, the total percentage of women candidates in municipal elections reached 35.5% in Quebec (an increase of 4.2 percentage points from 2017). We can certainly speak of a Plante effect, a correlation between the presence of a woman mayor in a major city over the past four years and the increase in the number of women candidates across the province. In addition to Valérie Plante in Montreal, today we congratulate, among others, elected mayors Évelyne Beaudin in Sherbrooke, France Bélisle in Gatineau, Julie Dufour in Saguenay, and Catherine Fournier in Longueuil. Thanks to these women, there is now parity in leadership in the 10 largest cities in Quebec.

Finally, we would like to call out the important work done by the City of Montreal with regards to parity, diversity, and inclusion: the city is one of eight organizations (out of over 60 Quebec, Canadian and multinational organizations) to have earned Platinum Parity Certification in 2020, the highest level of recognition offered by WiG. We look forward to continuing this work with Montreal, ” says Caroline Codsi, founder and Chief Equity Officer of Women in Governance.

The Parity Certification — available across Canada and the United States and developed with the pro-bono support of McKinsey & Company in 2017 — helps organizations increase the representation of women in sectors where they have historically been underrepresented, as well as in senior management positions. Accenture, Mercer, and Willis Towers Watson support the Women in Governance team in the assessment of applications. The certification's robust questionnaire evaluates parity at the decision-making level of an organization and assesses the implementation of mechanisms that enable career advancement for women at all levels, creating a pipeline of female talent. Particular attention is also given to intersectionality to ensure that Black women, women of color, indigenous and LGBTQ women, as well as women with disabilities are not left behind.

About Women in Governance

Women in Governance (WiG) is a non-profit organization founded in 2010 to support women in their leadership development, career advancement and access to board seats. The organization pursues its mission with its Parity Certification, inspiring events, as well as governance training and mentoring programs.

Learn more: womeningovernance.world | paritycertification.org