U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the Interior Department to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” in U.S. federal documents and geographic services, amid worsening trade tensions between the United States and Canada.
Trump said Canadian officials had treated the United States unfairly and argued that waterways bordering the country and supporting its economy should reflect American identity. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum endorsed the change, saying he was prepared to implement the order.
Canadian leaders rejected the new designation. Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians would continue to use the name Lake Ontario, which has been in use for more than 400 years. Ontario Premier Doug Ford, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston and Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew also criticized the decision, with several describing it as a political provocation rather than a practical geographic change.
The order follows the collapse of recent trade negotiations between Washington and Ottawa. Both governments blamed the other for last-minute changes to the proposed agreement. Canada has announced retaliatory measures scheduled to take effect on September 8, further escalating the dispute.
Lake Ontario, one of the five Great Lakes, lies between Ontario and New York. Its name is derived from the Huron word “oniatarí:io,” commonly translated as “lake of shining waters.” The province of Ontario later took its name from the lake.
The move resembles Trump’s earlier order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for U.S. federal use. That decision was adopted by some mapping services but remained disputed by news organizations and other governments. As with that earlier change, the Lake Ontario order does not compel Canada or international institutions to adopt the American designation, but it adds another symbolic issue to an already strained bilateral relationship. Its broader diplomatic and commercial effects remain uncertain for both countries.