| Rod Loyola | |
| Honorific-Suffix: | MLA |
| Smallimage: | Rod Loyola 2015.jpg |
| Caption: | Loyola in May 2015 |
| Birth Place: | Santiago, Chile |
| Residence: | Edmonton, Alberta |
| Office: | Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta for Edmonton-Ellerslie |
| Predecessor: | Naresh Bhardwaj |
| Term Start: | May 5, 2015 |
| Party: | Alberta New Democratic Party |
| Occupation: | Union President, Labour Organizer |
Rodrigo Alonso Loyola Salas (born February 28, 1974) is a Canadian politician who was elected in the 2015 Alberta general election to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the electoral district of Edmonton-Ellerslie and re-elected on April 16, 2019.[1] [2] He won a third term on May 29, 2023.[3] Loyola had previously contested the same seat for the same party in the 2012 Alberta general election. In 2014, prior to being elected as an MLA, he ran for leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party.[4] He placed third in the 2014 Alberta NDP leadership race.[5]
Loyola was born in Santiago, Chile during the rise of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. He and his family left the country in 1976 and immigrated to Canada when he was two years old. They settled in Mill Woods, a neighbourhood in the south side of Edmonton.[6]
Loyola and his family were part of the first wave of Latin American arrivals to Edmonton. His family had hoped to one day return to Chile, but instead they established themselves in the Mill Woods community.[7] Conditions in Loyola's country of origin were not safe. Before fleeing to Canada, his father broke curfew to get milk for his family and was opened fire upon by soldiers on the way home. When the Loyola family came to Canada, his father had an independent streak and did not apply for social assistance out of fear of being seen as a hindrance to the system and even took out a bank loan to pay for winter coats.[8]
Growing up in Edmonton, Loyola developed a love for poetry, hip-hop, and the arts. In the 2000s, he collaborated with Vlad Gomex and Cristian Cousino to form the Chilean-Canadian hip-hop group People's Poets. They released one album, No Life Without Roots, in 2009.[9]
Loyola graduated in 1999 with a Bachelors of Arts from the University of Alberta where he studied anthropology and Latin American history. In 2007, he returned to the U of A where he worked as an academic program coordinator and student advisor. In 2013, Loyola was elected President of the Non-Academic Staff Association, the union representing support staff workers at the University of Alberta.
Loyola is married with two sons. In 2018, Loyola converted to Islam after extensive research on the faith.[10] His faith has made him passionate about addressing hate crimes and incorporating better anti-racist education initiatives.[11]
Loyola has an extensive background in volunteering with the community. He was on the board of Friends of Medicare, volunteered for the Knottwood Community League, and the Post-Secondary Education Task Force for Public Interest Alberta. He was also a founding member of the Mill Woods Artists Collective, executive board member of the Memoria Viva Society of Edmonton, and was a producer of the Shaw Television Community Program, "Nosotros."[12]
On July 21, 2014, Rod Loyola announced his intention to run as leader of the Alberta New Democratic Party. He competed for the spot alongside David Eggen and Rachel Notley. Upon making this announcement, he wanted to focus on making sure that vulnerable and marginalized populations, including Indigenous people and newcomers to Canada, were better represented in the legislature. He also was concerned about privatization of public services and the harmful impacts of cuts to education, which Loyola believed worsens inequality in society.
In the results of the leadership vote held on October 18, 2014, Rachel Notley ultimately prevailed with 70 per cent of the vote, David Eggen in second place, and Loyola placing third.
Since first being elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta in 2015, Loyola has served on a number of Legislative Committees, which include Public Accounts, Resource Stewardship, Alberta Heritage Savings Trust Fund, Ethics and Accountability, Privileges and Elections, Legislative Offices, and Alberta's Economic Future.[13]
As MLA, he advocated on behalf of his constituents to allow turban-wearing Sikhs the right to ride motorcycles without helmets. Brian Mason, then Minister of Transportation, granted an exemption on religious grounds in 2018.[14]
An avid soccer fan, Loyola wanted the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to temporarily extend the hours that licensed bars and restaurants can be open to serve patrons during the 2018 World Cup games so they could enjoy seeing the game live. Joe Ceci, then the Minister of Finance, approved the temporary extension in time for the games.[15] [16]
In 2021, Loyola also successfully advocated for his constituents with cystic fibrosis to grant access to new life-saving drugs like Trikafta, making sure it's on the list of Alberta-approved drugs.[17]
After the Alberta New Democratic Party shifted from being in government to Official Opposition in 2019, Loyola has served in a number of shadow cabinet roles. Between 2019 and 2021, Loyola served as Critic for Transportation.[18] As Transportation critic, he advocated on behalf of the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash for better safety standards for bus seatbelts and training requirements for truck drivers.[19] [20] [21]
As an MLA representing a riding in the south side of Edmonton, he has advocated for the construction of a new hospital in south Edmonton, which has been met with delays ever since the United Conservative Party took power in 2019.[22]
Following the 2023 Alberta general election, Loyola was named Alberta’s Economic Future Committee Deputy Chair.[23] After Naheed Nenshi was elected leader of the Alberta NDP in 2024, Loyola was named Co-Chair of Outreach as part of the Leader's Senior Advisory Team.[24]