Lake Ontario Stands Firm: Canada’s Bold Response to Trump’s Renaming Attempt
POLICY WIRE — Toronto, Canada — Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a massive billboard along the Canadian shoreline, proclaiming “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” in response to...
POLICY WIRE — Toronto, Canada — Ontario Premier Doug Ford has unveiled a massive billboard along the Canadian shoreline, proclaiming “Lake Ontario. Now and Always” in response to President Donald Trump’s directive to rename it “Lake America”.
Ford, clad in a Team Canada soccer jersey, stood beside the 24 by 12 feet (7.3 by 3.6 metres) billboard near Grimsby, Ontario. The structure, supported by 6-foot (1.8-metre) legs, reaches approximately 18 feet (5.5 metres) high, about two stories tall, with the message also displayed in French.
This action follows Trump’s executive order for US federal agencies to adopt the new name. It comes amid escalating tensions, including tariffs, threats to make Canada the 51st US state, and personal attacks on Canadian leaders, sparking a mix of defiance and humor.
Ford emphasized that Trump’s attempt to rename the lake was due to Ontario and Canada standing up for themselves, asserting that the original name would endure beyond the president’s tenure.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew likened Trump’s actions to an aging rock band trying to revive an old hit, while Canadian historian Robert Bothwell questioned the seriousness with which the “greatest country on earth” takes Trump.
The dispute reflects worsening relations between the allies over trade, with negotiations collapsing and retaliatory tariffs announced.
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Trump’s order also intensified a war of words with Ford, who criticized Trump’s tariff policies, prompting Trump to dismiss Ford’s comments and mock him.
Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard condemned Trump’s move as an attempt to erase Indigenous history, highlighting the lake’s name origin from the Huron Indigenous people’s word “oniatarí:io,” meaning “lake of shining waters”.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney rejected the renaming, emphasizing the lake’s Indigenous roots and its name’s precedence over both Canadian Confederation and the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
