Ford plants 'Lake Ontario' sign to defy Trump's renaming order
Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a large sign reading 'Lake Ontario' along the lake's shore, directly challenging President Trump's executive order to rename it 'Lake America'. Ford said the name will remain unchanged regardless of the US president's actions. The move adds to escalating tensions between the two countries amid a trade war.
The sign stunt follows a breakdown in trade talks that led to US tariffs of 50 percent on $20bn of Canadian goods. Ford has previously spent $75m on an anti-tariff advertisement featuring Ronald Reagan's voice, aired in the US. The dispute has triggered Canadian boycotts of American products and provincial bans on US liquor.
Ford's confrontational style extends to personal attacks — he told Trump he could "kiss my a**" on a Toronto radio show, prompting Trump to mock him on Truth Social. The premier has also resisted Trump's repeated suggestions that Canada become a US state. Vermont's Republican governor Phil Scott criticized the renaming order as "petty and disappointing," highlighting bipartisan unease with the president's approach.
The escalating rhetoric could further strain US-Canada relations, affecting border communities and businesses that depend on cross-border trade. The renaming order and Ford's response may deepen Canadian nationalist sentiment, potentially accelerating boycotts of American goods. However, the dispute could also pressure both governments to return to negotiations, as economic interdependence makes prolonged conflict costly for workers and consumers on both sides.