&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "US-Canada trade war: Canada hits back as Trump orders Lake Ontario renamed 'Lake America'")
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney on Thursday (Aug 27) rejected US President Donald Trump's move to rename Lake Ontario, saying the body of water will remain "Lake Ontario - then, now and always".
Carney hit back after Trump signed an executive order on Thursday directing the US government to begin using "Lake America" for the lake shared by Canada and the United States. "We know that America is changing," Carney said in a post on X. “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario - then, now and always.”
Also read | 'If he is dead, they're putting on a pretty good show': Trump casts fresh doubt over Mojtaba Khamenei's fate
Why Trump wants the name changed
Trump's order directs the US Department of the Interior to update references to the lake in the country's official geographical naming system within 30 days and require federal agencies to use "Lake America".
The order argues that the deepest part of the lake lies on the US side and that the United States therefore "claims most of the Lake's volume". Trump had floated the idea earlier this week before confirming the change in a video posted on TikTok.
During Thursday's event, he also appeared to joke about going even further. "We have a gulf and we have a lake. Now all we need is an ocean," Trump said. "So, maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and/or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them both." He also announced the name change on Truth Social.
Canada refuses to accept the change
Lake Ontario is the smallest of the five Great Lakes by surface area and sits along the border between Canada's Ontario province and New York state in the US.
Carney pointed to the lake's long history, saying its name dates back around 400 years and predates both the United States and Canada as modern states. He said the name comes from an Indigenous word referring to the lake as beautiful or large.
Trump's latest move echoes his decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" in January 2025, a change that was also rejected by Mexico.
Trade war adds to tensions
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The lake dispute comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa face another sharp downturn. Trade negotiations between the two countries broke down last week, leading to retaliatory tariffs and further tension between the longtime allies.
Trump has repeatedly criticised Canada and has even pushed the idea of making it the 51st US state. His administration has also made territorial claims involving Greenland and has spoken about expanding US control elsewhere.
