Richmond—Arthabaska

Richmond—Arthabaska occupies the rolling countryside of south-central Quebec, straddling the Centre-du-Québec and Estrie regions. The riding consists of the Regional County Municipalities of Arthabaska and Les Sources as well as the centre of the RCM of Le Val-Saint-François, with Victoriaville as its principal population centre and Val-des-Sources as its secondary hub. Covering roughly 3,560 square kilometres with a population of approximately 100,000, the riding is overwhelmingly francophone and has a strong tradition of small and medium-sized enterprise, particularly in furniture manufacturing, food processing, and agriculture.

Candidates

Éric Lefebvre (Conservative) — Born in Victoriaville in 1971, Lefebvre is a teacher by training who graduated from the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières but built his career in business and politics. He served as a Victoriaville city councillor from 2001 to 2009, then became president and CEO of Chevrons Vigneault, a manufacturing firm in Saint-Ferdinand. Elected to Quebec’s National Assembly in a 2016 by-election for the Coalition Avenir Québec, he served three terms as MNA for Arthabaska and was named chief whip of the CAQ government. He resigned from provincial politics to seek the federal Conservative nomination.

Alain Saint-Pierre (Liberal) — The father of four children and son of Denis Saint-Pierre, a former mayor of Victoriaville, Alain Saint-Pierre holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Université de Montréal. He spent his career in municipal economic development, serving as an assistant industrial commissioner, director of economic development in Matagami and in the MRC of Bécancour, and helping local businesses access aid programs and development strategies.

Daniel Lebel (Bloc Québécois) — A resident of the Centre-du-Québec for approximately 30 years, Lebel is an engineer specializing in manufacturing and robotics, a certified corporate administrator, and a former president of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec. He co-founded Maninge, a manufacturing company in Drummondville. This was his first federal candidacy.

Nataël Bureau (NDP) — Bureau represented the NDP in the riding, campaigning on workers’ rights, pharmacare, and affordable housing.

Philippe D’Arcangeli (People’s Party) — D’Arcangeli ran for the People’s Party of Canada on the party’s national platform of reduced government spending, lower immigration, and fiscal conservatism.

Réal Batrhino Martel (Parti Rhinocéros Party) — Martel represented the satirical Rhinoceros Party, which has a long tradition in Canadian politics of fielding humorous protest candidates.

About the Riding

Victoriaville is the commercial and cultural capital of the Bois-Francs sub-region and hosts an economy built on a dense network of small and medium-sized manufacturers. The city is known nationally for its environmental consciousness—it was among the first Quebec municipalities to adopt ambitious recycling and composting programs—and for its annual Festival de musique actuelle. Val-des-Sources, formerly known as Asbestos, reinvented itself after the closure of its chrysotile mine and underwent a community-driven name change in 2020.

Agriculture plays a significant role in the riding’s identity, with dairy farming, maple syrup production, and mixed livestock operations dotting the landscape. Defence of the federal supply-management system was a campaign issue in 2025, as US trade negotiations threatened to extract further market-access concessions from Canadian dairy producers.

The 2025 race was notable for the three-way competition among a Conservative parachute candidate with deep provincial roots, a well-connected Liberal with economic-development credentials, and a Bloc candidate who brought engineering and governance expertise. Key issues included US tariff threats to the region’s manufacturing exports, housing affordability, healthcare recruitment in rural areas, and support for local entrepreneurs navigating an uncertain trade environment.