Donald Trump, President of the United States (US), has signed an executive order for the renaming of Lake Ontario to Lake America.
This is happening after the trade discussions between the US and Canada was unsuccessful last week, and America imposed new 50% tariffs on goods from Canada worth $20bn (C$28bn).
In his reaction via X, Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, said, the name “Ontario” emanates from a Wendat word of “Ontari’io”, adding, it means “”the lake is beautiful, the lake is big””.
The Canadian PM also said, the name is more than “400” years old; older than both Canada and the US.
Reacting to new tariffs on his country by the Trump government, Carney said, Canada “will match the new U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar”.
He made known, his administration is introducing “$7.5 billion” in measures to “support” Canadian workers and businesses.
Trump’s executive order hands the American Department of the Interior thirty (30) days to update the name change with the Geographic Names Information Service – the official repository of domestic geographic names in the United States (US).
PM Carney said: “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big”.
“The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.
“We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms.
“Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always.”
When Trump emerged the 47th President of the US, he signed a similar order that brought about the change of name of the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America. However, Mexico rejected the change of name, arguing that no one country can rename a shared body of international water.
On the new “unjustified” tariffs, PM Carney said: “Canada will match the new U.S. tariffs dollar for dollar.
“In addition, we are introducing $7.5 billion in new and enhanced measures to support Canadian workers and businesses. That builds on the nearly $25 billion in supports introduced since the implementation of the U.S. unjustified tariffs.
“Defending Canadian jobs, industries, and families.”
Reacting to the name change of the Lake, Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, said: “It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever.”
