US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order seeking to rename Lake Ontario as Lake America. Further escalating tensions with Canada amid a worsening trade dispute between the two countries.
Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of changing the name of the Great Lake, which is shared by the US and Canada. On Thursday, he said the change was “official, effective immediately” and that his administration had filed the necessary documents.
Under the executive order, the US Department of the Interior has 30 days to update the name in the Geographic Names Information Service, the US government’s official repository for domestic geographic names.
However, the order does not mean Canada or other countries are required to adopt the new name.
Canada Rejects Lake America Name
Canadian officials have quickly dismissed Trump’s attempt to rename the lake. Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed out that the name Lake Ontario dates back more than 400 years, predating both Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.
“We know that the United States is changing. Their trade relations, their foreign policy, their national monuments, their hydronyms,” Carney wrote on social media.
“Canadian women and men also know that things must be called by their name, and this lake is called Lake Ontario – today and forever.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford also rejected the change, saying: “It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever.”
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston added: “We’re into some real foolishness now. It’s Lake Ontario, buddy.” Industry Minister Melanie Joly similarly said Canada would continue to call it Lake Ontario.
Move Comes Amid Trade Tensions
Trump’s order comes as US-Canada relations remain strained following the collapse of trade talks late last week. The US has imposed new 50% tariffs on about $20bn (C$28bn) worth of Canadian goods, while Canada has announced plans to introduce “dollar for dollar” counter-tariffs next month.
Trump has repeatedly criticised Canada’s trade policies and said the proposed name change was not intended as a direct message to Ottawa.
He argued that Canada had “been ripping us off for a long time on trade”. Trump said he had been considering the name change for a long time and compared it with his earlier effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico.
“So if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake,” he said.
“Now, all we need is an ocean. So maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
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