Washington: US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order renaming Lake Ontario as “Lake America” for US federal use, adding a fresh point of tension to already strained relations between the United States and Canada.

The move comes amid an ongoing trade dispute between the two countries, with negotiations having broken down last week.

New name applies to US federal use

Trump announced the change at the White House on Thursday, saying the new name would take effect immediately.

However, the executive order applies to US federal usage and does not determine what Canada, international organisations or other bodies call the lake.

Lake Ontario is one of North America’s five Great Lakes and is shared by the United States and Canada. About 52% of its surface area lies in Canada, with the remainder in New York State.

Canada rejects the name change

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said the lake’s name predates both Canada and the United States as modern nations.

He indicated that Canada would continue to call it Lake Ontario.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul also rejected the change, saying New York would not use the new name.

The decision has also drawn criticism from Indigenous representatives. Grand Chief Pierre Picard of Quebec’s Wendat Nation said the original name has historical Indigenous roots and condemned the change as an attempt to erase history.

Move comes amid wider tensions

The renaming follows Trump’s earlier decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America for US federal usage.

Trump has also repeatedly suggested that Canada could become the 51st US state, an idea Canadian leaders have rejected.

Reuters reported that the latest decision is unlikely to ease future trade negotiations, with the US and Canada already divided over tariffs and several other issues.

Trump also suggested that he could consider renaming the Atlantic or Pacific oceans in the future.

The latest move has therefore turned the centuries-old name of a major shared waterway into another symbol of the growing political and diplomatic tensions between Washington and Ottawa.