Rod Loyola seeking to run as independent in new riding after being removed by Liberals in Edmonton Gateway

A former Alberta MLA who was removed as the federal Liberal Party candidate in Edmonton Gateway says he plans to run as an independent in a different riding.

Postmedia’s Rahim Mohamed first reported late Thursday that Rod Loyola was removed as the Liberals’ candidate in Edmonton Gateway after a video from 2009 resurfaced in which he praised terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah while speaking at an anti-NATO protest outside Edmonton city hall.

Article content

The party did not issue a statement Thursday or Friday but has confirmed to Postmedia that Loyola is out as its candidate.

In a statement posted midday Friday, Loyola said he was surprised at his removal and vowed to continue to seek federal office.

“I did not think that an intro at a hip-hop segment 16 years later would get me ‘cancelled’ after close to a decade of serving as an elected representative at the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, but here we are,” it reads.

“I will continue as an independent in the original riding I intended to run, Edmonton Southeast. I am lucky to have communities that (stand) with me, and together we stand for what is just and principled.”

His statement goes on to say he “unequivocally condemn(s) brutal killings, terrorism, and abduction” and “the loss of innocent life irrespective of race, faith or creed is a loss to humanity.”

At the time of the video, Loyola was a rapper with a group called People’s Poets and said that Hamas and Hezbollah, both listed terrorist organizations in Canada, should be lionized, not condemned.

Article content

Article content

“Organizations like Hezbollah and Hamas really are trying to stand up for their people, and that needs to be recognized. These are movements for national liberation, not terrorists,” he said.

Loyola has until Monday afternoon to get his candidacy confirmed and would become the eighth candidate in the riding and second independent candidate as of Friday. For the Liberals, Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi is also seeking a seat in Edmonton Southeast.

In an interview with Postmedia before he was removed as a candidate, Loyola said he had considered a run for the Liberals a year earlier, but that the addition of current prime minister and party leader Mark Carney prompted him to throw his hat in the ring for the April 28 election.

Loyola was in the midst of his third term as the New Democrat MLA for Edmonton-Ellerslie when he announced his resignation on March 25.

On Wednesday, the Alberta NDP said it had opened up the party’s nominations for the byelection in the riding, which must be called six months from Loyola’s resignation date.

Article content

Loyola’s removal leaves the Liberals one seat short of a full slate of candidates in Alberta.

Edmonton Gateway is a new riding that is also being contested by veteran Conservative MP Tim Uppal, who had previously represented Edmonton Mill Woods.

mblack@postmedia.com

Bookmark our website and support our journalism: Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.

You can also support our journalism by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribers gain unlimited access to The Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, National Post and 13 other Canadian news sites. Support us by subscribing today: The Edmonton Journal | The Edmonton Sun.

Article content