Mark Carney says Lake Ontario’s historic name will remain as is, ‘then, now, and always’

Aug 28, 2026 11:07 AM - 2 hours ago 4

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks astatine a property convention successful Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.

Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canadians would proceed to telephone the reservoir Lake Ontario. Dave Chan/AFP/Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has rejected Donald Trump's move to rename Lake Ontario to "Lake America," pointing to the lake's Indigenous sanction and hundreds of years of history.

"The sanction Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat connection Ontari'io, which, appropriately, intends 'the reservoir is beautiful, the reservoir is big," Carney wrote successful a Thursday post connected X.

Carney said the sanction is much than 400 years old, predating some Canadian Confederation and the US Declaration of Independence.

Carney's comments came arsenic Trump signed an executive bid Thursday signed an executive order that he said would "immediately" rename the assemblage of h2o to "Lake America."

Carney framed the move arsenic portion of broader changes taking spot successful the US.

"We cognize that America is changing. Their trading relationships, their overseas policies, their nationalist monuments, their hydronyms," Carney wrote.

"Canadians besides cognize that naming reality intends calling it Lake Ontario — then, now and always," he added.

The improvement comes amid a deepening waste and acquisition conflict betwixt the 2 adjacent trading partners.

Trade negotiations collapsed down past week, and caller 50% US tariffs connected astir $20 cardinal of Canadian imports took effect Saturday.

Trump has separately threatened further 50% tariffs connected Canadian automotive imports and alloy opening January 1.

Canada is readying for dollar-for-dollar retaliation opening September 8.

Other Canadian politicians person besides pushed backmost connected Trump's renaming of the lake.

Ontario Premier Doug Ford has said the assemblage of h2o will "always" beryllium Lake Ontario successful Canada.

Industry Minister Mélanie Joly was likewise unequivocal: "We'll ever telephone it Lake Ontario. Period."

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Huileng Tan

Huileng Tan is simply a elder newsman based successful Singapore, covering markets, the world economy, commodities, and investing. Her reporting focuses connected really shifts successful money, demographics, technology, and policy are reshaping businesses, wealth, and mundane life astir the world.Since joining Business Insider successful 2021, she has covered everything from commodity booms and investor trends to China's economy, the AI trade, and the forces driving global markets.Before joining Business Insider, she reported for CNBC, Dow Jones, ICIS, and The Wall Street Journal.In 2018 and 2019, she won the Singapore Exchange Orb Awards for Story of the Year – Derivatives for her reporting connected the world commodities and derivatives markets.Reach her astatine [email protected].

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