Prescott--Russell--Cumberland

Prescott--Russell--Cumberland is a predominantly rural and small-town riding stretching from eastern Ottawa to the Quebec border, newly renamed from Glengarry--Prescott--Russell following the 2022 redistribution. The boundary changes moved the North Glengarry area to the neighbouring Stormont--Dundas--Glengarry riding while absorbing more of the Ottawa community of Cumberland in the riding's northwestern corner. It is the only riding in Ontario with a majority francophone population, giving it a unique cultural and linguistic identity within the province's political landscape.

Candidates

Giovanna Mingarelli (Liberal)* is a technology entrepreneur and public engagement adviser who grew up in Rockland. She began her professional career on Parliament Hill, working for former Prime Minister Paul Martin, and later co-founded consulting firms focused on digital strategy and community engagement. She previously worked with Equal Voice, a national organization advocating for more women in elected office, and became the first woman to represent the region federally when she won the riding.

Julie Séguin (Conservative) is a Hawkesbury town councillor elected in 2022 who has worked as a legal assistant and as a staffer for members of Parliament. She secured the Conservative nomination after former Conservative MP Pierre Lemieux, who previously represented the region, had his candidature rejected by the party.

Ryder Finlay (NDP) is a Carleton University student working in information technology who also ran as the NDP candidate in the provincial riding of Glengarry--Prescott--Russell.

Thaila Riden (Green Party) stood as the Green Party candidate in the riding.

Deborah Perrier (People's Party) represented the People's Party of Canada in the contest.

About the Riding

Prescott--Russell--Cumberland's francophone majority sets it apart from every other riding in Ontario. Communities along the Ottawa River--Rockland, Clarence-Rockland, Wendover, and Plantagenet--are predominantly French-speaking, as are many of the smaller villages throughout Prescott and Russell counties. Hawkesbury, near the Quebec border, is the riding's easternmost town and serves as a bilingual commercial centre with strong economic and cultural ties to the Gatineau region across the river. The addition of more of Cumberland, a suburban-rural community on Ottawa's eastern edge, introduced a somewhat more anglophone and suburban demographic to the riding's mix.

Agriculture is the economic backbone of the riding's rural stretches, with dairy farming, cash crops, and mixed farming operations dominating the landscape between the small towns. Many residents commute into Ottawa for federal public service employment, giving the riding a dual character as both an agricultural community and a public-service bedroom community.

In 2025, francophone language rights and access to French-language services were perennial concerns in a riding where linguistic identity is deeply felt. Healthcare access in rural areas--particularly the shortage of French-speaking physicians and the distance to major hospital facilities in Ottawa--was a significant campaign issue. Housing affordability, driven in part by Ottawa commuters pushing into the riding's closer communities, and broadband connectivity in more remote areas rounded out the local priorities. The riding has been a Liberal stronghold for generations, and Mingarelli's victory continued that tradition while marking a historic first for women's representation in the constituency.