Carney rejects Trump's Lake Ontario renaming: 'Then, now and always'
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected a US executive order to rename Lake Ontario to 'Lake America'. The dispute occurs amidst escalating trade tensions and the imposition of retaliatory tariffs between the two nations.
Why it matters
The renaming controversy serves as a symbolic flashpoint in a deteriorating diplomatic and economic relationship between the US and Canada.
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Sailboats are seen in the distance on Lake Ontario, from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, August 27, 2026. /VCG
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that the name "Lake Ontario" carries a long history and that Canadians will always use this name regardless of external changes.
Carney wrote in a post on X that the name came from the Wendat word Ontari'io, which means "the lake is beautiful, the lake is big."
The Canadian prime minister made the remarks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order earlier on Thursday directing the Department of the Interior to rename the lake "Lake America," as trade tensions between the United States and Canada have escalated.
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