Photo credit: CBC
Political leaders in Canada are speaking out against an executive order by US President Donald Trump to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, saying the move is offensive and doesn’t hold water north of the border.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford said in a post on social media on Thursday that the name of Lake Ontario has not changed.
“It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever,” Ford said.
Ontario NDP leader Marit Stiles also said the name of the lake has not changed.
“Let’s get to work. And one other thing: it’ll always be Lake Ontario,” Stiles said in a video posted on social media.
Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to rename the lake. One of the five Great Lakes, Lake Ontario is located between Ontario and New York. The province of Ontario, founded in 1867, took its name from the lake.
Sitting near a map with the label “Lake America” over the body of water, Trump said “entitled” Canada has been difficult to deal with and repeated claims the country was ripping off the United States.
But the Wendat Nation took a stronger stance, saying it condemns the executive order because it is an attempt to “eradicate” its history.
Grand Chief Pierre Picard, official spokesperson for the Wendat Nation, said in a statement posted on social media that the First Nation refuses to remain silent on the issue.
“Outraged, appalled, shocked: there are no other words to describe how I feel following President Trump’s decision to rename Lake Ontario ‘Lake America,'” Picard said.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, who represents the largest city on the shores of Lake Ontario, also refused to give the renaming any legitimacy.
