Glengarry—Prescott—Russell

Spanning the easternmost reaches of Ontario along the Quebec and Ottawa River borders, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell covers a large swath of predominantly rural territory from Hawkesbury and Clarence-Rockland in the north to the farm country of Glengarry County in the south. The riding is among Ontario's most bilingual constituencies, with a substantial francophone population that reflects the region's settlement history dating to the mid-eighteenth century. Communities such as Embrun, Russell, Casselman, and Vankleek Hill anchor the riding's dispersed population.

Candidates

Francis Drouin (Liberal) — Born and raised in Hawkesbury, Drouin held a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Ottawa and a business administration diploma from Collège La Cité. He began his career as a special assistant in the Ontario Premier's office before moving to government relations consulting in the private sector. Most recently, he had served as director of government relations for Startup Canada, a national entrepreneurship advocacy organization.

Pierre Lemieux (Conservative) — The incumbent, Lemieux had served as MP since winning the riding in 2006. A retired Canadian Forces lieutenant-colonel with twenty years of military service, he held a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science from the Royal Military College of Canada. In Parliament, he served as parliamentary secretary to ministers of Official Languages, Agriculture, and Veterans Affairs, and also worked as deputy government whip. Before politics, Lemieux was a professional engineer who worked in Ottawa's high-technology sector at JDS Uniphase.

Normand Laurin (NDP) — An information technology consultant from Vankleek Hill, Laurin represented the NDP in the riding.

Geneviève Malouin-Diraddo (Green Party) — Malouin-Diraddo ran for the Greens in a riding where agricultural and rural concerns tended to dominate the policy conversation.

About the Riding

Glengarry—Prescott—Russell's bilingual character made it a unique riding in eastern Ontario, with francophone communities maintaining active cultural institutions including schools, churches, and media outlets in both official languages. The agricultural economy centred on dairy, corn, and soybean production, with many farm families having worked the same land for generations. The Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal, announced during the campaign, stirred particular concern among dairy producers who feared it would undermine Canada's supply management system. Meanwhile, the fast-growing communities of Russell and Embrun, increasingly bedroom suburbs for Ottawa commuters, brought suburban development pressures to a traditionally rural landscape. Lemieux's long tenure made the riding a test case for whether the Conservative hold on eastern Ontario's rural seats could withstand the national Liberal surge.