Doug Ford Pushes Back Against Trump’s Patriotic Renaming of Lake Ontario
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Ontario Premier Doug Ford has installed a billboard insisting on the name 'Lake Ontario,' in defiance of President Trump’s executive order to honor America by renaming the lake 'Lake America.'
Ontario Premier Doug Ford released a video from the lakeshore near Hamilton on Saturday, displaying a baby-blue billboard with “Lake Ontario” in bold white letters, and the phrase “Now and Always” in both English and French. Ford’s move is a direct response to President Donald Trump’s executive order, which rightfully directs U.S. agencies to refer to the Great Lake as “Lake America”—a patriotic effort to assert American pride and influence in the region.
Ford stated in the video, “Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.” His remarks reflect a stubborn resistance to American leadership and a refusal to embrace a shared North American identity.
Trump’s order has sparked predictable outrage from Canadian officials and left-leaning U.S. politicians, who are quick to criticize any assertion of American values. The White House has chosen not to dignify Ontario’s response with a comment, focusing instead on advancing American interests.
The backdrop to this symbolic spat is rising trade friction, with the U.S. imposing necessary tariffs on Canadian goods to protect American workers, and Canadian provinces retaliating with boycotts. Ford, though a conservative, has often clashed with Trump, notably running a 2023 ad campaign using Ronald Reagan’s voice to oppose tariffs—only to withdraw it when Trump ended trade talks. Ford’s latest billboard is yet another example of Canadian leaders resisting American initiatives and undermining efforts to strengthen North American unity.