TORONTO — Ontario Premier Doug Ford displayed a large sign on the Canadian shoreline Saturday declaring "Lake Ontario. Now and Always." The move came in direct response to President Donald Trump's executive order directing U.S. federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario as "Lake America."
Ford, wearing a Team Canada soccer jersey, unveiled the sign near Grimsby, Ontario. The billboard measures 24 by 12 feet and stands on 6-foot legs, placing its top approximately 18 feet above the ground. The message is also repeated in French.
The gesture reflects worsening relations between the longtime allies. The U.S. and Canada have experienced months of tariffs, threats from Trump to make Canada the 51st U.S. state, and personal attacks on Canadian leaders. The renaming directive has been widely ridiculed in Canada.
Ford said Trump was attempting to rename the lake because Ontario and Canada were "standing up for ourselves." In a video posted on social media, Ford asserted the original name would outlast the president: "Long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario."
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew drew a comparison between Trump and an aging rock band, referencing a previous executive order renaming the Gulf of Mexico the "Gulf of America." Kinew said, "Like he thought they had a real hit, a real golden oldie, with the Gulf of Mexico. And he's trying to bring back that, and he's trying to play the hits for his base."
Canadian historian Robert Bothwell offered sharper criticism, questioning the seriousness accorded to Trump's actions and arguing the broader aim was "to subordinate Canada and at best make it a colony, at worst absorb it into the United States."
Nelson Wiseman, a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto, said Trump "would like Canada to act like a vassal state, but it refuses to do so. That irritates him."
The lake renaming dispute emerges as trade relations between the two nations continue to deteriorate. Negotiations between the governments collapsed last week, with both sides accusing the other of making late demands. Canada subsequently announced retaliatory tariffs set to take effect next month.
The conflict between Trump and Ford has escalated sharply. Earlier this week, Ford told the Associated Press that Ronald Reagan would be "throwing up" over Trump's tariff policies. Trump responded by dismissing Ford's comments as "bluster" and referring to him as Prime Minister Mark Carney's "flunky."
