In her free time, Mayor Valérie Plante takes notes. On pieces of paper, Post-its, napkins. Notes on his experience in politics, on anecdotes. These notes collected together produce comic strips: the story of Simone Simoneau, aspiring mayor, whose second volume, Like vixenscomes out this week, illustrated by Delphie Côté-Lacroix.
We find her here in 2016, when she plans to take the leadership of the Projet Montréal party after the resignation of Richard Bergeron.
In principle, these books are aimed at 12 to 17 year olds. But they could well be of interest to a wider audience.
“I wrote this volume mainly during the winter of 2021, during the holiday season,” says the mayor, met, still laughing, in the offices of the publishing house. I won my second term in November. And I told myself that I had taken enough notes. It tempted me. But, after that, I had to ask Delphie to draw it. It’s a commitment on his part. »
It was from the first volume of the adventures of Simone Simoneau that the designer Delphie Côté-Lacroix became involved in the project. Initially, Valérie Plante, who loves comics, built her story by drawing stick figures. “I wanted to tell that story. At the beginning, I made the first volume with small strips, a bit like in Mafalda or in Garfield. I still have my old boards with stick figures. But quickly, I said to myself: “I want beautiful drawings.” I met Delphie, I had seen her work on the Internet. I don’t know if it’s madness or generosity, but she accepted my invitation. »
For the illustrator, who had never made comics, it was a leap into the void.
“I had never voted in municipal elections before,” she confides, alongside the mayor. I had to do a little research, because, after all, an artist associated with a politician carries risks. But I don’t see our books as a partisan project. I tell the story of a woman who has an inspiring journey. And we need more women in leadership positions. I can help give voice to this story. »
Sexual abuse
This second volume addresses a painful childhood memory of Valérie Plante, in Rouyn-Noranda. That of sexual abuse perpetrated against her at the age of seven by the school principal. In the comic strip, we understand that the director in question had abused other children over a long period of time. However, in an interview, Valérie Plante explains that she got through this event well. Her parents, to whom she reported the affair, immediately believed and supported her.
“For me, the most important thing about telling this story was really putting the emphasis on the allies. These are the people who receive information about abuse. Because, in my story, if I had been welcomed differently, I would not have been the person I am,” she says.
It was her mother, at the time, who gave her back her “power”, and a self-confidence which followed her, she says, to Montreal town hall. “From the height of a child of that age, by believing me right away, my mother gave me my power back. I no longer had any power. This man had taken it from me in a certain way. And probably he was counting on my silence. And my mother told me: “You took your voice, you were courageous. It’s your power, you have it,’” she recalls.
The event, rather than destroying it, transformed itself into strength.
Critics
Since the publication of the first volume of the adventures of Simone Simoneau, Valérie Plante has suffered certain criticism for the fact that she was taking up her precious time as mayor to indulge in this hobby. She ranks writing, along with swimming which she does three times a week, among the activities that help her decompress.
“There were critics of the first who rightly said: ‘Why is she writing, she should be doing something else.’ But we want politicians who look like us. Me, I’m just like everyone else. I had a life before, I have children. This is also what I want to highlight: the issue of mental health. Writing helps me in my life. It makes me a better mayor. »
In her books, which are autobiographical, Valérie Plante describes herself above all as an activist. She says she participated in a meeting with indigenous women, in the west of the country, through the Girls Action program. “I needed Simone to define herself and go back to her roots. Tell how she volunteered, how she got involved in the community. I came into politics quite late, she says, at 39 years old. » She has long been concerned about the environment, housing and social equity. “When you want to get into politics, it’s because you believe in certain things. » Today, she talks about the difficulty of having to wait for action from other levels of government, particularly to move forward on the thorny issue of access to housing in Montreal. In any case, she prefers to be in charge than at the mercy of those in charge.
“Helplessness created anxiety,” she says. So there, at least, I’m in the action and I’m moving. Again, it may not be going as fast as I want it to, but I’m moving. I am able to mobilize a lot of people, a lot of teams and a lot of resources. »
As for whether a third volume will finally address her experience as mayor, she is not announcing anything for the moment. But in the meantime, she continues, day after day, to take notes.