Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario as “Lake America,” insisting that Canada will continue to use the lake’s historic name.

Trump signed an executive order Thursday directing the U.S. government to officially use “Lake America” in federal maps, documents and geographic databases. The order applies to U.S. government usage and cannot compel Canada or international organizations to adopt the new name.

Carney pushed back against the move in a statement on X, highlighting the Indigenous origins and centuries-old history of the name Ontario.

He said the name derives from the Wendat word “Ontari’io,” meaning “the lake is beautiful, the lake is great,” and dates back more than 400 years — predating both the Canadian Confederation and the establishment of the United States in its current form.

“Canadians also know that calling things by their proper names means calling this lake Ontario—then, now, and always,” Carney said.

Trump’s decision comes as relations between Washington and Ottawa have deteriorated over trade.

The U.S. has imposed 50% tariffs on about $20 billion worth of Canadian goods, while Canada has announced retaliatory tariffs. The dispute has added further strain to the close economic relationship between the two countries.

Trump had previously suggested renaming the lake, linking the proposal to the worsening trade relationship with Canada. The executive order now instructs the U.S. Interior Department and the Board on Geographic Names to update the U.S. Geographic Names Information System within 30 days.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and is shared by the United States and Canada, with New York State bordering it to the south and east and the Canadian province of Ontario bordering it to the north and west.

Canadian officials have made clear that the U.S. order will not change Canada’s official use of the lake’s traditional name.

The dispute over the name has therefore become another symbolic flashpoint in the increasingly tense relationship between the two neighboring countries, with Ottawa emphasizing the lake’s Indigenous and historical heritage while Washington moves to impose “Lake America” in official U.S. federal usage. (ILKHA)