Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada would reject claims that his leadership style is similar to that of former U.S. President Donald Trump or British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. But in at least in one respect the comparison is getting closer to hitting its target.

To win back the majority government his Liberal Party lost in the 2019 election, Trudeau is engaging in populist pandering that, if acted upon, could damage Canada’s economic performance.

Consider what happened just recently. First the prime minister pledged to ban foreigners from purchasing homes for two years in an effort to cool Canadian housing prices. The goal, he said: "No more foreign wealth being parked in homes that people should be living in.”