Indigenous leaders condemn Trump’s move to rename Lake Ontario

Indigenous leaders and advocates say they’re outraged after U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order to change the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America.

Mohawk policy analyst Russ Diabo called the change “totally asinine,” and said it’s typical of Trump’s “racism towards anything Indigenous.”

The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari:io, which means “the lake is beautiful, the lake is big.”

Prime Minister Mark Carney pointed to that origin on Thursday and said the lake will be known as Lake Ontario “then, now and always.”

Wendat Nation Grand Chief Pierre Picard says he is outraged and shocked by Trump’s move, and accused him of “attempting to eradicate our history.”

Picard says the name change strikes a direct blow to “the very heart of our Wendat identity,” and he plans to meet with United States Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra in the coming days.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 28, 2026. 

By Alessia Passafiume and Catherine Morrison | Copyright 2026, The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.