Glengarry—Prescott—Russell

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell is a sprawling rural riding in eastern Ontario, stretching from the Ottawa River south to the St. Lawrence lowlands and bordered by Quebec on two sides. It encompasses the United Counties of Prescott and Russell and the northern portion of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, with major communities including Hawkesbury, Rockland, Casselman, Embrun, Russell, Alexandria, and the eastern fringes of Ottawa.

Candidates

Pierre Lemieux (Conservative) — The incumbent MP, first elected in 2006 and re-elected in 2008. Lemieux held a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science from the Royal Military College of Canada and served 20 years in the Canadian Forces, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. After his military career, he worked in Ottawa's high-technology sector, notably at fibre optics firm JDS Uniphase. In Parliament, he served as deputy government whip and as parliamentary secretary to the ministers of Official Languages, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs.

Julie Bourgeois (Liberal) — Bourgeois was a Crown attorney at the time of the campaign. She ran as the Liberal candidate challenging Lemieux in this traditionally Liberal-leaning riding.

Denis A. Séguin (NDP) and Sylvie Lemieux (Green Party) also ran. Jean-Serge Brisson stood for the Libertarian Party.

About the Riding

Covering approximately 3,050 square kilometres, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell is one of the most bilingual ridings in Canada. Roughly two-thirds of its population is francophone, and some seven in ten residents are bilingual in English and French—among the highest rates anywhere in the country. The riding had a population of approximately 116,000.

Agriculture is the backbone of the local economy. The fertile lowlands support dairy farming, cash crops, and livestock operations, and the agri-food sector is a major employer. The towns of Hawkesbury and Alexandria serve as regional commercial centres, with Hawkesbury's paper mill historically anchoring the town's industrial base. Rockland and Embrun, closer to Ottawa, have experienced residential growth as bedroom communities for federal government workers and other Ottawa commuters.

The riding has deep historical roots, with Scottish settlement in Glengarry County dating to the late 18th century and French-Canadian settlement in Prescott and Russell Counties preceding Confederation. These cultural traditions remain visible in community institutions, festivals, and the prevalence of bilingual services. Federal language policy and support for francophone minority institutions were perennial issues of local concern. Transportation links include Highway 417 (the Trans-Canada) connecting Ottawa to Montreal, and Highway 34 running north–south through the riding.