Italy's far-right leader is likely to receive a warm reception in Canada

This weekend, Canada will play host to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who is widely regarded as that country's most right-wing leader since the fascist dictator Benito Mussolini. But don't expect that detail to come up.

Meloni will be in Toronto this Saturday for a meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and it is expected to be a cordial one. Meloni, reads a news release from the Prime Minister's Office, enjoys a «close relationship» with Canada. She's a «steadfast» ally, it says, in «defending democracy.»

The statement is a far cry from the public criticism Trudeau lobbed at Meloni at a meeting of the G7 last year. There, he voiced «concern» about the Italian prime minister's positions on 2SLGBTQ+ rights, which included plans to revoke parental rights for gay couples with children.

But a lot can change in a year. Since last May, experts say Meloni has deftly performed a delicate balancing act, advancing centrist positions on the international stage while appeasing a far-right base at home. In the process, she has become a key power player in Europe amid a wider surge in right-wing sentiment across the continent.

«I expect Trudeau to be much more gentle with Meloni this time around,» said Amy Verdun, director of the University of Victoria's European Studies Program, in an email. «There is a more right-wing wind blowing in Europe…. On the whole we do not know where all this is going. But for people on the left it is a worrying trend.»

Growing influence

Before coming to power, Meloni was known for her fiery speeches against «globalist» institutions like the European Union. But since becoming premier, she has been positioning herself as a powerful player at the European Parliament.

As leader of a large right-wing