If Justin Trudeau were to die, I would honour him.

Justin Trudeau is the worst Prime Minister in Canadian history. Under his leadership, Canada has become more divided and less free. He’s infringed on our fundamental freedoms, leading our nation toward totalitarianism.

Nevertheless if he died as our Prime Minister, I would honour him. God commands me to honour him.

1 Peter 2:17-18 says: “Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor. Servants, be subject to your masters with all respect, not only to the good and gentle but also to the unjust.”

God says we should honour the Prime Minister—even when they are unjust. That, of course, doesn’t mean we should obey unjust laws. Nor does it mean we shouldn’t address their unjust laws when they die.

What it means is that we should respect their authority, knowing it comes from God. (Romans 13:1) And it also means we should be grateful for some of the good they do through God’s grace and providence. (Romans 13:2-7)

Meaning, though Justin Trudeau has failed to fulfill his duties to Canadians like me, that doesn’t mean I should fail in my duty to honour him.

But if that applies to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it also applies to Queen Elizabeth. Some of you might not know that Justin Trudeau isn’t the official leader of Canada—that honour belonged to Queen Elizabeth before her death.

Like the United Kingdom, Canada is a constitutional monarchy in the Commonwealth—and until yesterday, Queen Elizabeth was our head of state.

Therefore it is my Christian and patriotic duty to honour the Queen.

Still, since it’s trendy for some woke people to dishonour the Queen because of the monarchy’s colonial history, I’ll also address why I’m honouring the Queen–though I was born in the first sub-Saharan African nation to gain independence from Britain.

I am not unique among Ghanaians in my admiration and respect for the Queen. Despite our rebellion against the monarchy, the Queen has always been relatively popular in Ghana. This is why the president of Ghana, Nana Akufo-Addo, released statement to honour her legacy and relationship with Ghana.

Queen Elizabeth loved Ghana, visiting the nation twice. Her first visit was in 1961, just 4 years after Ghana’s independence. On that visit, she famously danced with the man who freed Ghana from her rule—the first president of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah.

Another reason why I’m honouring the Queen is because despite the injustices against my ancestors, the British monarchy were instrumental in protecting my Fanti tribe from our rivals, the Ashanti, in Ghana. 

The Ashanti were significantly more powerful than the Fanti. They were actually an empire—perhaps the most powerful empire in Sub-saharan Africa. And they wanted expand their empire by conquering Fanti territories. This forced my ancestors to become allies with Britain.

Britain eventually colonized Ghana. But I don’t know what would have happened to my ancestors if Britain hadn’t protected them from the Ashanti. 

This doesn’t erase Britain’s history with injustice. And it certainly doesn’t erase her own sins. Kings and queens are not perfect. The only perfect king is the king of kings, Jesus Christ. According to her profession of faith, Queen Elizabeth would say the same.

So, since the king of kings commands me to honour the Queen, I won’t disobey him. That’s why I’m honouring Queen Elizabeth.

The Queen is dead, long live the King.