Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario "Lake America"

Donald Trump signed an executive order in the Oval Office on Thursday, August 27, changing the name of Lake Ontario to "Lake America." He had announced Tuesday that he was giving the idea "serious consideration," posting on Truth Social a map showing the original name struck out and replaced.

Scope of the measure

The order applies to American federal maps and documents. The Secretary of the Interior has 30 days to bring it before the United States Board on Geographic Names. The measure carries no legal weight internationally: Lake Ontario is a shared waterway, with New York and Ontario each governing their own portion of the shoreline and lakebed. Most of the lake lies in Canadian territory.

The president tied the decision to trade, writing that the United States no longer expects to do much business with Ontario. He also drew a parallel with his 2025 decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America."

Origin of the name

"Ontario" comes from an Iroquoian language, likely Wendat or Mohawk, and is generally translated as "beautiful lake" or "sparkling water." The province, created in 1867, takes its name from the lake.

Context

Trade negotiations between Ottawa and Washington collapsed last week after Mark Carney pulled Canadian negotiators from the table. The federal government announced Tuesday counter-tariffs on more than 700 American products, taking effect September 8.

Carney also stated that the American administration was seeking changes to the use of French in Canada, which Donald Trump denied. Bilingual labelling requirements arising from Bill 96 are listed as a trade irritant in the American National Trade Estimate report.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada would continue to use the name Lake Ontario.

Emmanuelle Beauchamp