Compton--Stanstead

Stretching across Quebec's Eastern Townships south of Sherbrooke, this riding hugs the Vermont and New Hampshire borders and encompasses the regional county municipalities of Coaticook, Le Haut-Saint-Francois, and portions of Memphremagog and Le Val-Saint-Francois, as well as a section of the city of Sherbrooke. Rolling hills, dairy farms, maple groves, and small towns define the landscape, with historic villages like North Hatley, Stanstead, Ayer's Cliff, and Coaticook drawing visitors to one of Quebec's most scenic rural regions.

Candidates

Marianne Dandurand (Liberal) -- Born and raised in Quebec's Eastern Townships, Dandurand worked as a journalist at La Tribune in Sherbrooke before entering politics. She served as chief of staff to Marie-Claude Bibeau, the former Liberal MP for the riding who held the seat from 2015 to 2025 and served as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and later Minister of National Revenue. Her deep knowledge of the riding's communities and agricultural sector, developed through both journalism and political staffing, formed the basis of her 2025 campaign.

Nathalie Bresse (Bloc Quebecois) -- The mayor of Ascot Corner since 2010, Bresse first entered municipal politics as a councillor in 2005 and has served continuously at the local level. She also ran as the Bloc candidate in the same riding in 2021. Between elections, she remained active in the party's national office as secretary. She campaigned on protecting supply management in agriculture, defending the forestry and aluminum sectors, and addressing housing and mental health concerns.

Jacques Painchaud (Conservative) -- A resident of Bolton-Est, Painchaud served 35 years with the Surete du Quebec before retiring in January 2025. He rose through the police union ranks over more than two decades, becoming president of the Association of Quebec Provincial Police Officers in 2022. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Universite de Montreal and describes himself as a specialist in labour relations and mediation. He campaigned on border security, citing drug and weapons trafficking concerns in the Stanstead area.

Valerie Laliberte (NDP) -- The NDP candidate in the riding, Laliberte focused on affordable housing, healthcare access, and support for rural communities facing economic pressures.

Sebastien Tremblay (Green Party) -- The Green Party's standard-bearer, Tremblay advocated for sustainable agriculture, environmental stewardship, and climate adaptation in a riding defined by its rural character.

Paul Lehmann (People's Party) -- Running for the People's Party, Lehmann campaigned on reduced government intervention, lower taxes, and opposition to supply management.

About the Riding

Compton--Stanstead has a population of approximately 105,000 and reflects the Eastern Townships' distinctive bilingual character -- while predominantly francophone, it retains a significant anglophone minority rooted in the region's Loyalist and British settler heritage. Agriculture is the economic backbone: dairy farming, maple syrup production, and mixed farming predominate, and supply management has been a defining political issue for decades. Marie-Claude Bibeau's tenure as Agriculture Minister from 2019 to 2023 gave the riding outsized influence on federal farm policy.

The riding's southern border with Vermont and New Hampshire makes cross-border commerce a constant concern. The town of Stanstead straddles the international boundary -- the Haskell Free Library and Opera House famously sits on the border itself -- and irregular border crossings became an issue during the 2017-2023 period. Tourism drives the economy in the lakes and hills region, with North Hatley, Lake Massawippi, and the Gorge de Coaticook attracting visitors year-round. In 2025, the dominant campaign issues included the impact of U.S. tariffs on agricultural exports, protection of supply management, border security in the Stanstead corridor, housing affordability, healthcare access in rural areas, and cellular coverage gaps in the more remote municipalities of Le Haut-Saint-Francois.