Archive · 28 Aug 2026
Trump Renames Lake Ontario; Canada Vows Lake Ontario Remains
Donald Trump signed an order telling the US government to call Lake Ontario “Lake America.”
The order only changes the name used by the US government.
It cannot force Canada or other countries to use that name.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians will keep calling it Lake Ontario.
He said the name comes from a Wendat word meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”
Carney said the name is more than 400 years old.
The lake is shared by the United States and Canada.
The argument happened while the two countries were also fighting over tariffs and trade.
For now, the name disagreement is mostly symbolic.
Donald Trump signed an order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” for US federal use.
The order applies within the United States and does not compel Canada or other countries to adopt the name.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canadians would continue calling it Lake Ontario.
Carney said the name comes from the Wendat word “Ontari’io” and is more than 400 years old.
The dispute is largely symbolic but comes amid US-Canada tariffs and worsening trade relations.
- Who
- US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, with Ontario Premier Doug Ford and historian Robert Bothwell also responding.
- What
- Trump ordered US federal agencies to use “Lake America” for Lake Ontario, while Canadian officials rejected the change.
- When
- The order was signed on Thursday in August 2026; the article was published August 28, while the reproduced Carney post is dated August 27.
- Where
- Lake Ontario, a shared boundary water between New York and Ontario.
- Why
- Trump’s action came amid worsening US-Canada trade relations; the articles do not give a separate stated reason for changing the lake’s name.
Canadian Position
US Federal Position
Which name should be used?
Canadian Position
Carney and Ford said Canadians and the wider world would continue using the historic name Lake Ontario.
US Federal Position
Trump’s executive order directs US federal use of the name Lake America.
Legal and practical reach
Canadian Position
Canada is under no obligation to adopt the US designation, and the lake remains a shared boundary water.
US Federal Position
The order changes the designation used by the US geographic naming service and within the US government.
Meaning of the change
Canadian Position
Carney emphasized the lake’s Wendat roots and long history, while Bothwell called the renaming “a joke in an awful way.”
US Federal Position
Trump linked the move to broader tensions with Canada, saying Canada had been difficult to deal with on trade; the articles do not provide a separate historical justification for the renaming.
- US designation
- Trump’s order changes the lake’s designation for the US geographic naming service and federal use.
- International effect
- The order has no legal force beyond US borders and cannot require Canada or the rest of the world to use “Lake America.”
- Canadian position
- Carney said Canadians would continue using “Lake Ontario,” while Ford said the name would remain unchanged for Canadians and the rest of the world.
- Name origin
- Carney said “Ontario” comes from the Wendat word “Ontari’io,” meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”
- Historical age
- Carney said the name is more than 400 years old and predates Canadian Confederation and US independence.
- Shared water
- Lake Ontario forms part of the US-Canada boundary and is jointly managed under longstanding agreements, with the International Joint Commission overseeing water levels and cross-border use.
- Trade context
- The reports say the US imposed 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, followed by Canadian retaliatory tariffs.
