Editorial: Canadian voters finally tire of their ultra liberal prime minister, Justin Trudeau

​When he became prime minister of Canada in late 2015, Justin Trudeau was aged 43.

He was seen as a fresh new political generation. A liberal for more enlightened times, the son of a respected ex Canadian PM, Pierre Trudeau.

He was partly French speaking, partly English. He cast aside traditional prohibitions, by legalising so-called assisted dying (which has progressed beyond its original remit so far that it should in fact be called assisted suicide), he legalised marijuana, he pursued ultra woke policies on trans issues and native Canadians, he took a firm environmental line on climate change and – like many other western governments – he almost willingly lost control of Canada’s borders.

The mass influx of immigrants is one reason why house prices are appallingly high in cities across Canada.

Mr Trudeau pressed ahead with these policies, because like so many liberal leaders he was sure of his own moral rightness and of the old fashioned nature of long-standing, even ancient, traditions that were swept aside.

He was a similar politician to Jacinda Ardern, the PM of New Zealand who came to office even younger, in her late 30s. But after a while reality begins to kick in.

Ms Ardern is gone now two years. Now Mr Trudeau has also quit, and with very low approval ratings.

Apart from anything else, the record of such leaders raises question marks about having very young heads of government. Tony Blair was in his early 40s when he took power of the UK in 1997, and Barack Obama likewise when he was elected US president in 2008. Having said that, few older politicians have been a glittering success as leaders of western countries.

One thing though does seem clear: if you pursue a radical social agenda, even if your economic course is more moderate, voters will turn against it soon enough. Mr Trudeau did well to last nine years.