European public goods were great until they weren't. After the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, the European Union member states began weakening the social safety net, as did most of the Canadian provinces. This social safety net weaking was further accelerated after the 2008 financial crisis, when sovereign debt concerns prompted austerity measures. As many people probably realize, austerity measures increase poverty rates in the areas where they are imposed, which in turn results in fascist governments rising to power. The designation of Boris Johnson as prime minister of the UK and the election of the Vox party to the Spanish local parliaments in the late 2010s and early 2020s were partially caused by the increased impoverishment of the populations of both England and Spain, as well as the Fidesz party expanding control in Hungary. When Stephen Harper became Canadian prime minister in 2006, he implemented a series of austerity measures that were harshly imposed across Canada; Justin Trudeau was elected in 2015, but he would continue the austerity program at a rate that was faster than his predecessor. This resulted in fascist leaders like Ford, Legault, and Kenney being elected to power in most Canadian provinces in the 3 years after Trump became president. Fascist parties (like the CAQ and the UCP), while only accounting for a minority in the Canadian federal lower house, now account for more than half the seats across most of the provincial legislatures.