The first Liberal majority government in Canada since 2019 should allow Carney more freedom to pass the legislation he says is needed for the country to thrive in “a more divided and dangerous world,”

International News via Reuters:

Prime Minister Mark Carney said he would prioritize lowering the cost of living in Canada, tackling a housing shortage, and building major infrastructure projects to help make Canada’s economy more independent with his Liberal Party’s new parliamentary majority.

After his party swept three special elections on Monday, capping off an extraordinary few months in Canada when several opposition members joined him, Carney said he accepts the country’s support “with humility, determination and a clear understanding of what this moment demands.”

The first Liberal majority government in Canada since 2019 should allow Carney more freedom to pass the legislation he says is needed for the country to thrive in “a more divided and dangerous world,” including the uncertainty caused by U.S. President Donald Trump and the ongoing war in the Middle East.  

Carney has sought to make Canada less dependent on the United States.

“We have to change fundamentally our economy to be stronger, more independent, more prosperous,” he said at a Tuesday press briefing to announce a temporary suspension of a fuel tax. He said the measure would reduce Canadians’ bills at the gas station by 10 cents per litre on regular gasoline and 4 cents on diesel. 

“Canada’s new government has been relentlessly focused on making life more affordable for Canadians,” he said.

Carney’s Liberals won  three special elections in Ontario and Quebec, giving him a 174 seat majority in the 343-seat House of Commons.  

Carney said he had no plans to shuffle his cabinet before Parliament’s summer recess or to call an early election, following criticism from political opponents that five recent defections of legislators to Carney’s Liberals undermine the credibility of his majority government. 

Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre took to X to express his dissatisfaction at both the process and the result: “The Carney Liberals did not win a majority government through a general election or today’s by-elections. Instead, it was won through backroom deals with politicians who betrayed the people who voted for them.” 

Carney said in response that Canada was a parliamentary democracy and Canadians elect their local representatives. 

Elizabeth McCallion, an assistant professor of  political science at the University of Toronto, said Carney’s decision to cut the fuel tax comes days after the Conservatives argued for a cut and parties were becoming surprisingly aligned on some policies.

“This will make it more difficult for the opposition parties to actually be adversarial and challenge the government,” she said. 

Reporting by Maria ChengEditing by Alexandra Hudson

The government is still expected to survive the confidence motion the opposition put down after protesters blockaded oil infrastructure and left about a third of Ireland’s petrol stations without fuel

International News via Reuters:

An Irish junior minister resigned on Tuesday in protest over the government’s response to a wave of public demonstration against surging fuel prices last week and said he would join the opposition in voting no confidence in the coalition.

The government is still expected to survive the confidence motion the opposition put down after protesters blockaded oil infrastructure and left about a third of Ireland’s petrol stations without fuel. The disruption ended on Monday.

However, the resignation of Michael Healy-Rae during the debate came as an unexpected blow to the government. Healy-Rae is one of a number of independent lawmakers whose support the centre-right-led coalition relies on for its majority.

“The leader of the country should have listened and because of the fact that I believe this government has let the people of Ireland down, I will be voting no confidence in the leader of the country and I will be tendering my resignation as a Minister of State from now,” Healy-Rae told parliament.

He added that his constituents in rural county Kerry did not want to see him “or any Healy-Rae” to back the government. That suggested his brother and fellow independent lawmaker, Danny, would also withdraw his support, further cutting the government’s majority.

In a bid to ease the discontent, the government announced 500 million euros ($586 million) worth of spending increases and tax cuts to soften the impact on consumers and businesses on Sunday. That was on top of a 250 million euro package introduced three weeks ago.

Reporting by Padraic Halpin; Editing by Muvija M

The first U.S. pope, writing to participants of a Vatican meeting about the use of power in democratic societies, said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in moral values

International News via Reuters:

Pope Leo warned of the risk of democracies sliding into “majoritarian tyranny” on Tuesday, in a letter issued by the Vatican two days after U.S. President Donald Trump attacked the pontiff on social media.

The first U.S. pope, writing to participants of a Vatican meeting about the use of power in democratic societies, said democracies remained healthy only when they were rooted in moral values.

“Lacking this foundation, (democracy) risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites,” said Leo in the letter.

The text, released as the pope was undertaking an ambitious, 10-day tour of four African countries, did not directly address the U.S. or name any specific democracies.

Trump sharply criticized Leo as “terrible” on Sunday night, after the pope had emerged in recent weeks as a growing critic of the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran.

Leo told Reuters on Monday that he planned to keep criticizing the war, despite Trump’s comments.

In Tuesday’s letter, the pope said the Catholic Church taught that power could not be seen as an end in itself “but as a means ordered toward the common good”.

“This implies that the legitimacy of authority depends not on the accumulation of economic or technological strength, but on the wisdom and virtue with which it is exercised,” said Leo.

The pope also urged leaders in democratic societies to avoid any temptation to hoard power.

“Temperance … proves essential for the legitimate use of authority, for true temperance restrains inordinate self-exaltation and acts as a guardrail against the abuse of power,” he said.

Reporting by Joshua McElwee; Editing by Alex Richardson