Canada rejects Trump's idea to rename Lake Ontario
Canadian Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Lake Ontario will always keep its name, responding to US President Donald Trump's suggestion to rename it Lake America. The remark comes amid an escalating US-Canada trade dispute.
Canada's Industry Minister Mélanie Joly addressed reporters on Tuesday, August 25, commenting on statements by US President Donald Trump about a possible renaming of Lake Ontario. According to a BBC report cited by Ukrainska Pravda via Yevropeiska Pravda, Trump had said he was considering renaming the lake — which sits on the border between Canada's Ontario province and the US state of New York — to Lake America.
Joly responded that Canada "will always call it Lake Ontario." She added that as long as such "antics" continue, Canada will act strategically and "push back."
Strained trade relations
The statement comes as relations between the United States and Canada have deteriorated after the two sides failed to reach a new trade agreement. Following the collapse of trade talks, the United States on August 22 imposed 50% tariffs on Canadian goods worth roughly $20 billion in total.
On August 25, Canada announced it would introduce new tariffs on imports from the United States, signaling that the trade dispute between the two countries continues to intensify.
