# Paulina Ayala

Paulina Ayala (born June 25, 1962) is a Canadian politician who served as Member of Parliament for the riding of Honoré—Mercier from 2011 to 2015. She is a member of the New Democratic Party. She succeeded Pablo Rodriguez of the Liberal Party.

## Early life and education

She was born in Santiago, Chile, and was a leader in the student movement and in citizens' rights organizations during the Pinochet dictatorship. She later immigrated to Canada in 1995 and settled in Montreal. She earned a certificate in French as a second language and multicultural education from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She has a diploma in education, history and geography.

## Political career

Ayala was elected to represent Honoré-Mercier in the 2011 Canadian federal election. In the 2015 federal election, Pablo Rodriguez defeated Ayala in a re-match. Ayala ran in the 2018 Quebec general election in Rosemont for the provincial NDP but lost by a large margin.
Ayala contested the riding of Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel in the 2019 federal election but lost. She again contested Honoré—Mercier at the snap 2021 election but finished fourth and her opponent for the third time, Rodriguez, easily won re-election in a landslide.

### Federal

vte2021 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Pablo Rodríguez | 29,033 | 60.0 | +1.3 | $39,670.10 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Charlotte Lévesque-Marin | 7,908 | 16.3 | -3.5 | $3,008.90 |
| | Conservative | Guy Croteau | 5,086 | 10.5 | +0.9 | $2,893.59 |
| | New Democratic | Paulina Ayala | 3,537 | 7.3 | -0.9 | $433.46 |
| | People's | Lucilia Miranda | 2,023 | 4.2 | +3.3 | $508.19 |
| | Green | Bianca Deltorto-Russell | 734 | 1.5 | -1.2 | $0.00 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Yves Le Seigle | 88 | 0.2 | +0.1 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 48,409 | 98.0 | – | $109,578.67 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 971 | 2.0 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 49,380 | 64.1 |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | Registered voters | 77,078 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | +2.4 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2019 Canadian federal election: Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Patricia Lattanzio | 27,866 | 61.33 | -3.40 | $39,698.45 |
| | Conservative | Ilario Maiolo | 5,423 | 11.94 | +0.81 | $50,901.27 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Dominique Mougin | 4,351 | 9.58 | +2.39 | none listed |
| | Independent | Hassan Guillet | 3,061 | 6.74 | – | none listed |
| | New Democratic | Paulina Ayala | 2,964 | 6.52 | -8.33 | $1,299.32 |
| | Green | Alessandra Szilagyi | 1,183 | 2.60 | 0.79 | $512.28 |
| | People's | Tina Di Serio | 501 | 1.10 | – | $1,392.50 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Garnet Colly | 85 | 0.19 | -0.10 | $0.00 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 45,434 | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 993 | 2.19 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 46,427 | 60.38 | +1.16 |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 76,885 |
| | Liberal hold | Liberal hold | Swing | Swing | -2.11 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2015 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | Liberal | Pablo Rodríguez | 29,211 | 56.55 | +20.18 | – |
| | New Democratic | Paulina Ayala | 8,478 | 16.41 | -13.94 | – |
| | Bloc Québécois | Audrey Beauséjour | 6,680 | 12.93 | -5.59 | – |
| | Conservative | Guy Croteau | 6,226 | 12.05 | -0.37 | – |
| | Green | Angela Budilean | 814 | 1.58 | -0.02 | – |
| | Strength in Democracy | Dayana Dejean | 168 | 0.33 | – | – |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Yves Le Seigle | 81 | 0.16 | -0.19 | – |
| Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | Total valid votes/expense limit | 51,658 | 100.0 | | $212,950.75 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 682 | – | – |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 52,340 | – | – |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | 78,428 |
| | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Liberal gain from New Democratic | Swing | Swing | +17.11 |
| Source: Elections Canada |||||||
vte2011 Canadian federal election: Honoré-Mercier :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | Expenditures |
| | New Democratic | Paulina Ayala | 17,545 | 36.37 | +26.26 |
| | Liberal | Pablo Rodríguez | 14,641 | 30.35 | -13.32 |
| | Bloc Québécois | Martin Laroche | 8,935 | 18.52 | -9.60 |
| | Conservative | Gérard Labelle | 5,992 | 12.42 | -2.88 |
| | Green | Gaëtan Bérard | 770 | 1.60 | -1.20 |
| | Rhinoceros | Valery Chevrefils-Latulippe | 181 | 0.38 | – |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Jean-Paul Bédard | 170 | 0.35 | – |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 48,234 | 100.00 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | 622 | 1.27 | -0.06 |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 48,856 | 59.98 | -2.18 |
| | New Democratic gain from Liberal | New Democratic gain from Liberal | Swing | Swing | +19.79 |

### Provincial

2018 Quebec general election :
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Québec solidaire | Vincent Marissal | 12,919 | 35.25 | +16.57 |
| | Parti Québécois | Jean-François Lisée | 10,419 | 28.43 | -5.84 |
| | Liberal | Agata La Rosa | 6,148 | 16.77 | -13.19 |
| | Coalition Avenir Québec | Sonya Cormier | 5,703 | 15.56 | +1.40 |
| | Green | Karl Dubois | 521 | 1.42 | +0.10 |
| | New Democratic | Paulina Ayala | 314 | 0.86 | New |
| | Parti nul | Catherine Raymond-Poirier | 224 | 0.61 | New |
| | Conservative | Alexandra Liendo | 218 | 0.59 | New |
| | Bloc Pot | Coralie Laperrière | 130 | 0.35 | -0.19 |
| | Marxist–Leninist | Stéphane Chénier | 55 | 0.15 | -0.06 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | | 100.0 |
| Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | Total rejected ballots | |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | |
| Eligible voters | Eligible voters | Eligible voters | |
| | Québec solidaire gain from Parti Québécois | Québec solidaire gain from Parti Québécois | Swing | Swing | +11.20 |