A name change with a message
President Trump signed an executive order on Thursday renaming Lake Ontario to Lake America. The order came after negotiations between the United States and Canada collapsed last week. The two countries failed to reach a trade agreement, and the mood between the neighbors has turned sour.
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes and is shared by the two countries. It borders the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of New York. The White House said the new name celebrates American sovereignty, but critics called the move a political stunt.
Canada pushes back
Canada rejected the new name within hours. A Canadian maritime attorney said, “The Americans can call it whatever they want to call it. It is Lake Ontario.” Canadian officials said the name has existed for centuries and will not change on Canadian maps or documents.
The dispute over the lake is a symptom of a wider trade fight. Trump has threatened to raise tariffs on Canadian cars, trucks, auto parts, and steel to 50 percent starting January 1. Canada was the only country besides China to retaliate against the earlier U.S. tariffs.
Talks resume
Days after the collapse, the two sides returned to the table. Trump paused new tariffs on Canada for three days, saying the two sides are finalizing documents to avoid import taxes on a range of Canadian goods. “We are very close to a deal,” the president said.
Economists warn that a full trade war would hurt both economies. Auto plants on both sides of the border depend on parts that cross it many times before a car is finished. For now, the lake has a new name in the United States, and the trade talks have a second chance.