Ontario premier slams Trump's order: "It's Lake Ontario now and forever"
Amid an ongoing trade war between Canada and the United States, President Trump last week sought to rename Lake Ontario "Lake America" by executive order.
Ontario's premier has vehemently rebuked President Trump's directive to rename the lake that straddles their province and the US state of New York. Premier Doug Ford erected a sign at Fifty Point Conservation Area, proclaiming "Lake Ontario - Now and Always" in both English and French, to emphasize the lake's enduring name and rebuff Trump's attempt to assert American ownership.
Ford argued that Trump's order is a cynical attempt to undermine Canada's sovereignty and indigenous heritage, which he claimed predate the US by centuries. The Iroquoian word "oniatarí:io" means "lake of shining waters," underscoring the lake's deep cultural significance. Seneca Nation President J. Conrad Seneca also denounced the name change, calling it a desecration of Indigenous culture and a breach of a 225-year-old treaty.
The dispute arises from a trade war between Canada and the US, with Trump previously announcing tariffs on Canadian goods and threatening to revoke Ontario's business ties. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has retaliated with tariffs on US imports, escalating the economic conflict between the two nations.
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