Canada Fires Back with Sharp Retort Over Trump’s Controversial ‘Lake America’ Renaming Scheme
So, President Trump has decided to stir the pot again by issuing an executive order to rename the iconic Lake Ontario as “Lake America.” Seriously—was there a memo we missed about renaming half the continent? Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney wasn’t having any of it, unloading a history lesson on the good ol’ POTUS, reminding everyone that Lake Ontario isn’t some newfangled name—it comes from a Wendat word meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.” Trust me, that’s a history slam dunk no one saw coming. Not to be outdone, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford put up a massive two-story sign yelling from the lake’s shores: “Lake Ontario Now and Always.” It’s like a billboard-sized mic drop. Meanwhile, Trump’s unfazed, insisting the rename isn’t sending a message—though his comment about Canada “ripping us off” and needing an ocean had me wondering if next up on the chopping block are the Atlantic and Pacific! Will this renaming spree catch on, or is it just another political quirk destined for the map historians? Either way, American users on Google Maps will now see “Lake America,” while Canadians keep their tradition intact. What’s the takeaway here? In the end, names might change on paper, but some things—like history and stubborn national pride—stay put.
Canada has taken another dig at President Donald Trump after he signed an executive order to rename Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’.
Trump managed to get under the skin of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney after he signed the order rebranding the lake, which is bounded on the north by Ontario and on the south by New York, last week.
Taking aim at the POTUS, Carney issued a quick history lesson, reminding Trump that the lake’s name predates both modern Canada and the United States.
“The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big’,” Carney said.
Now, Premier of Ontario Doug Ford has also weighed in.
At the weekend, Ford unveiled a huge new sign on the banks of the lake proudly displaying the words: “Lake Ontario Now and Always” in both English and French.
The 24 by 12ft sign stands on six-foot legs, putting its top about 18 feet above the ground — roughly two stories high.
Explaining the move, Ford said: “You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake, all because he doesn’t like Ontario and Canada standing up for ourselves.
“But let’s be serious. Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario and long after President Trump is gone, it’ll still be called Lake Ontario but just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we’ve set up the sign to remind them: it’s Lake Ontario now and forever.
In a follow up post on X, he wrote: “Make no mistake: Lake Ontario is and always will be Lake Ontario.”
According to Global News, Trump told the press the rebrand wasn’t about sending a message.
“No message,” he insisted.
“As you know, Canada has been ripping us off for a long time on trade, very sadly. Even the military, you know, we defend Canada for nothing, we don’t get anything.”
He went on to call Canadian government officials ‘nasty people’, while joking: “Now all we need is an ocean.”
“Maybe we’ll have to change the name of the Atlantic or the Pacific. Maybe we’ll change them both.”
Trump’s executive order means that US federal agencies will use ‘Lake America’ in their official geographic records.
It’ll also show up as ‘Lake America’ on Google Maps for users in the US.
Premier of Ontario Doug Ford has hit back at the US rebrand (X/@fordnation)
However, it cannot force any other countries, including Canada, to abandon the name Lake Ontario.
So, in short, US officials can call it Lake America and Canadian officials can continue to refer to it as Lake Ontario.
But some US politicians have also pushed back.
US politicians have pushed back.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul has said her state will not call the lake by Trump’s preferred name, while Republican Vermont Governor Phil Scott described the move as ‘petty and disappointing’.
Trump continued promoting the new name on Saturday, reposting a meme showing Canada geese with Trump-like blond hair firing rifles as they ‘protected’ Lake America.
Trump has repeatedly used maps to make political points. A ‘Gulf of America’ map was displayed for a time beside the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, and Trump has posted images depicting Canada as part of the United States or as the 51st state.
The name Lake Ontario comes from the Huron Indigenous people’s word ‘oniatarí:io’, which means ‘lake of shining waters’.
The Canadian province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.
The latest on the Gulf of America
During the signing of the latest executive order, Trump referred to his previous decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America, and insisted the new name has become ‘very routinely’ used.
That move, ordered after Trump returned to the White House in 2025, also introduced the new name for US federal purposes, but he could not make Mexico or the rest of the world abandon the previous title.
Organisations such as the Press Association also still refer to it as the Gulf of Mexico.
The move also triggered a legal dispute between Mexico and Google, which renamed the gulf on the maps.
According to the BBC, Google Maps users in the US see ‘Gulf of America’, while those in Mexico see the ‘Gulf of Mexico’. However, those in other countries see the ‘Gulf of Mexico (Gulf of America)’.
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