Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected US President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” saying Canadians will continue to use its traditional name.
Carney explained that the name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which refers to the lake as beautiful and large. He emphasized that the name has been used for more than 400 years, predating both the creation of Canada and the US Declaration of Independence.
The Canadian prime minister said that although the United States is changing aspects of its foreign policy, trade relations and geographic names, Canadians will continue to recognize the body of water as Lake Ontario.
His comments followed Trump’s signing of an executive order directing the immediate renaming of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” Trump announced the change at the Oval Office while tensions between Washington and Ottawa were already rising.
Relations between the neighboring countries have worsened after trade negotiations collapsed and the US introduced new tariffs on Canadian goods. Canada responded by announcing retaliatory measures.
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