Canada's Mark Carney fires back after Trump renames Lake Ontario

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America" for U.S. government use, the latest escalation in a growing dispute with Canada over trade. The executive order has since sparked a response from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who highlighted that the name is over 400 years old and said, "America is changing." The order updates the lake's name in the U.S. geographic naming system, but Canada is not required to adopt the change and has given no indication it will.

Trump signed the order in the Oval Office, where a display map of the Great Lakes behind him showed "Lake America" printed in large red letters over Lake Ontario. Speaking to reporters, the president criticized Canada's approach to trade, calling it difficult to deal with and accusing the country of feeling "entitled."

The move echoes Trump's earlier effort to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America," another attempt to rebrand a prominent geographic feature through executive action.

"So, if you think about it, we have a gulf and we have a lake. Now, all we need is an ocean," Trump said. "So maybe we'll have to change the name of the Atlantic and or the Pacific. Maybe we'll change them."

Newsweek has reached out to Carney, Ontario Premier Doug Ford and New York Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul via email on Thursday afternoon for comment.

Carney reacted to the move, saying on X on Thursday in part, "We know that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their foreign policies, their national monuments, their hydronyms. Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always."

Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on X, "It's Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever."

The executive order follows days of public remarks in which Trump suggested the name change after U.S.-Canada trade talks broke down. The administration recently announced 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, deepening tensions between the two longtime allies.

Canada responded with tariffs of its own on $20 billion in U.S. goods, including steel, dairy products, appliances and farm equipment.

Trump has also repeatedly taunted Canada since returning to office, including by suggesting it should become the 51st U.S. state.

Patrick Brown, mayor of Brampton, Ontario, told CNN Thursday afternoon, "We're still going to call it Lake Ontario."

"The only person who is having trouble with what to call it is your president. The whole notion is a bit preposterous. And just like if our prime minister wanted to rename the Mississippi (River), you'd probably get a chuckle out of it. It is having the same reaction in Canada."

Hochul wrote Thursday on X, frankly, "New York won't be calling it that."

Where Is Lake Ontario?

Lake Ontario, which covers about 7,340 square miles, is the smallest of the five Great Lakes shared by the United States and Canada. The lake, roughly the size of New Jersey, forms part of the international border, separating New York state from Ontario, Canada's most populous province and home to Toronto, the country's largest city.

Ontario is also a major trading partner for numerous U.S. states, underscoring the region's economic significance at the center of the latest political dispute.

Lake Ontario's name traces its roots to the Huron Indigenous people's word oniatarí:io, meaning "lake of shining waters." The lake later lent its name to Ontario when it was established in 1867.

"It is quite possible that Canadians could see the appropriation of Lake Ontario and its renaming as part of the larger effort on the part of the U.S. to exert its influence territorially," Derek Alderman, a cultural and historical geographer, told Newsweek. He added that the move seemed intended "to exert some advantage or strength in the trade war with Canada."

Meanwhile, Reuben Rose-Redwood, professor of geography at the University of Victoria, called it "pure rage bait" and a "well-worn move from the Trump playbook akin to calling Canada the '51st State' or renaming the Gulf of Mexico to capture media attention."

"Trump's threat to rename Lake Ontario is pure rage bait aimed at stoking anger among Canadians while distracting Americans from the fact that Trump overplayed his hand in the trade negotiations with Canada," he told Newsweek.

Who Owns Lake Ontario?

No single country "owns" Lake Ontario. The lake is shared by the United States and Canada, with the international border running through the water. Canada borders the lake to the north through the province of Ontario, while New York State lies along its southern shore. Jurisdiction over the lake is divided between the two countries under a series of treaties and agreements governing navigation, environmental protection, fishing and water management.

How Donald Trump Can Legally Rename Lake Ontario

Trump can direct the federal government to use a different name for Lake Ontario through an executive order for U.S. government purposes. Such an order allows federal agencies and mapping systems under U.S. authority to adopt the new designation. However, the president cannot compel Canada, foreign governments or international organizations to recognize the change.

Earlier this week, Mélanie Joly, industry minister of Canada, responded to Trump's comments that the United States is giving "serious consideration" to renaming Lake Ontario as "Lake America."

"We'll always call it Lake Ontario," Joly told reporters on Tuesday when asked about Trump's statement. "We're proud of the Great Lakes ... and we'll stand up for what we have," she said. "I really think that, with all these shenanigans happening. We'll just be smart and we'll be strategic, and we'll fight back."