Canada’s government could collapse next week
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s credibility took a serious hit after Ontario’s anti-tariff ad soured relations with US President Donald Trump and shut down trade talks. Elected in April on a promise to deliver a deal with Washington, Carney now faces a confidence vote on his first budget next Tuesday: if his minority government can’t get the votes to pass it, Canadians could be going to the polls again – that would make twice in one year.
Far right takes a hit in Dutch election
The center left D66 party and the far-right Freedom Party of anti-Islam firebrand Geert Wilders tied atop the Dutch elections, each winning 26 seats. The result was a triumph for D66, which picked up 17 seats. PVV, meanwhile, dropped 11. Wilders won the 2023 election, but two years of chaotic, unstable government followed. Because D66 edged out PVV in the vote tally, it has first crack at forming a government. Its success or failure will help answer a key question: does the election result show the limits of the far-right’s appeal, or is it a temporary setback in Wilders’ otherwise steady rise?
