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On May 27, King Charles will read the Canadian government’s speech from the throne. But how is it that the King of the United Kingdom is outlining the priorities of the Canadian government? And what should Christians think about this from a Christian worldview? 

This historic moment is an opportunity to reflect on ways that the office of King Charles points us to the greater lordship of King Jesus. But before we get into all the reasons for that, we need a quick civics lesson on how Canada’s government actually works.  

Wikipedia describes Canada’s government as a “federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy.” That’s quite a mouthful, but let’s break it down. 

Canada’s government structure 

“Federal” simply means that Canada has both a national government and provincial/territorial governments, each with prescribed powers. 

“Parliamentary” refers to the presence of political representatives of the people in the government. Members of Canada’s 343 ridings elect representatives to the House of Commons to represent their riding, and each province has Senators to represent the province as a whole. Both bodies have the power to enact laws for our country. Historically, the elected House of Commons and the unelected Senate were intended to check the power of the monarch (which we’ll get to in a second). 

“Constitutional” refers to the fact that there is a fundamental set of laws that our government must adhere to, laws that are very difficult to change. Canada’s constitution includes the Constitution Act, 1867, the Constitution Act, 1982, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and unwritten conventions that stem from British parliamentary tradition. 

Which brings us to the monarchy. Although we almost exclusively rely on the House of Commons – the prime minister, cabinet ministers, and the rest of the members of Parliament – for governance, the Constitution Act, 1867 states that “the Executive Government and Authority of and over Canada is hereby declared to continue and be vested in the Queen.” In other words, the day-to-day power of the government is in the hands of the monarch (the King or Queen, depending on who is in power). The monarch has a Privy Council to advise him or her on Canadian policy. The monarch is also the Commander-in-Chief of “the Land and Naval Militia, and of all Naval and Military Forces.”  

Since the monarch resides in the United Kingdom rather than Canada, the Constitution gives the monarch authority to appoint a representative in Canada, called the governor general. This appointed person is to exercise the monarch’s authority in Canada. Officially, it is the governor general who summons and calls together the House of Commons in the monarch’s name and dissolves Parliament and calls an election. The governor general officially has the power to veto any bill passed by Parliament on behalf of the monarch, as a bill must receive royal assent before it can become law. Within two years of the passage of a bill, the monarch has the power to withdraw royal assent for the bill, annulling the law. 

On paper, the monarch and his representative have enormous power, vestiges of when England was ruled by a monarch with near absolute power and when Canada was simply a colony of Great Britain. 

In practice, though, the monarch and the governor general almost never overtly exercise their power. Generally, they follow the advice or will of the prime minister. The last time a governor general refused to follow the advice of the prime minister was when Governor General Lord Byng refused to call an election for Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King in 1926. This caused a constitutional crisis. That’s because the unwritten constitutional convention that the monarch and his representative follow the will of the elected House of Commons clashes with the powers bestowed on the monarch by the written constitution. 

Two types of kingship

Since the monarch is rarely present in our Parliament, King Charles’ upcoming speech from the throne is an opportunity to reflect on ways that his role points us to the greater lordship of King Jesus. 

First of all, both are kings. God describes Himself as a king, not a prime minister, premier, president, chancellor, or secretary. Monarchies have fallen out of fashion in human governance (with only 43 countries around the world having some sort of monarch as a part of their government) and very few monarchies hold absolute power today – for good reason. King Charles is one of the few monarchs left in the world and practically holds little power. King Jesus, however, rightly holds absolute power. 

Second, both King Charles and King Jesus are the rulers over many nations, including Canada. While King Charles is the official head of state over 15 nations in the British Commonwealth, Jesus is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords. 

Third, both hold their authority by right rather than by popular election. King Charles holds the throne by right of birth today, although his ancestors claimed that they ruled by divine right. Barring extraordinary events, Charles will only lose the throne in death, passing it off to his progeny. Jesus holds his authority by the divine right of being the Son of God and the natal right of being the Son of David. And since He is eternal, He will never pass that title on to anyone else. 

Fourth, both have thrones. There is an actual throne reserved for his majesty in the Senate. It is from this throne than the king gives his speech from the throne (hence the name). But above this throne is another. Our King, as we read in great detail in Revelation 4, also sits on a throne, one that is far more awesome and majestic than the red and gold chair in the Senate. 

Fifth, both trigger elections. Officially, the monarch and his representative (the governor general) call elections and dissolve Parliament. Our God, in his providence, also direct the affairs of men and directs not only the timing of elections but also the outcome. We confess that “all things, in fact, come to us not by chance but by his fatherly hand” and that “all creatures are so completely in his hand that without his will they cannot so much as move” (Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 27-28). 

Sixth, both give approval before any law is passed in Canada. The monarch or his governor general must give royal assent to every law passed by the Canadian parliament and even has the power to rescind laws shortly after their passage. In God’s providence, no bill is passed by Parliament can become law without God’s will and he has the power to revoke any human law at any time. While constitutional convention dictates that the governor general must give royal assent to any law passed by Parliament, God is under no such compulsion. 

And finally, both are increasingly forgotten monarchs. Only a quarter of Canadians know that the king is Canada’s formal head of state. Canadians forgetting that King Charles is their earthly king reflects the much greater problem of Canadians forgetting that God is their heavenly King. In both cases, Canadians’ focus on choosing our own governments can cause us to forget about authorities that are above us by right. There will be no day of reckoning when every Canadian will be forced to acknowledge the kingship of the British monarch, but there will eventually be a day when “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10-11). 

So, if you see King Charles reading the speech from the throne, be reminded that it isn’t your local member of Parliament, Prime Minister Mark Carney, Governor General Mary Simons, or even King Charles who ultimately determines and presides over our government. That distinction belongs to our God, a fact that gives us comfort and hope through the failings of earthly governments. And it is a reality that our politicians should recognize as well. In fact, our politicians should be doubly humble for they have two kings greater than themselves over them: King Charles and King Jesus.