Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canadians know Lake Ontario will always be known by its original name following U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the lake Lake America.
Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the name change in the United States, continuing a dispute that began earlier in the week when he first suggested changing the lake’s name amid rising tensions with Canada.
Carney pushed back against the move in a social media post, saying the name Lake Ontario is part of Canada’s history and identity.
He pointed out that the name comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”
Carney also noted that the name is more than 400 years old, predating both Canadian Confederation and the Declaration of Independence of the United States.
The name change only applies to U.S. federal documents and geographic services. Canadian officials, including Premier Doug Ford, have rejected the change and continue to refer to the body of water as Lake Ontario.
Ford said Thursday that it is “Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever.”
