Trump vs Doug Ford: Ontario Premier reveals ‘Lake Ontario’ billboard size report after US president proposes renaming | Today’s news
Days after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order directing the US government to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America” on Thursday (local time), Ontario Premier Doug Ford responded with a billboard-sized message.
Ford shared the video on his social media account on Saturday (local time), writing: “It’s Lake Ontario, now and always.” Ford, who was seen wearing a Team Canada soccer jersey, unveiled the sign near Grimsby, Ont., and posed for photos. According to the AP, the 7.3-by-3.6-meter sign is mounted on 6-foot (1.8-meter) legs, with its top placed about 18 feet (5.5 meters) above the ground, or about two stories high. The message will also appear in French.
Ford said in a video message: “You may have heard that President Trump is trying to rename this lake, all because he doesn’t like Ontario and Canada standing up for themselves.” He added: “Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario, and long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario.”
Mocking Trump, Ford went on to say, “Just in case President Trump or anyone else forgets, we put this sign up to remind them.”
Why did Trump threaten to rename Lake Ontario?
The latest salvo from the Ontario premier comes amid escalating tensions between the once longtime North American allies.
Trump first floated the proposal on Aug. 25, saying the U.S. is considering renaming Lake Ontario because Washington doesn’t expect to do much business with the Canadian province.
The move came after a previous effort by the US president to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. After returning to the White House for a second term last year, Trump issued an order renaming the Gulf of Mexico and directed federal agencies to use the new designation. The US can change the name for its own government, but does not have the authority to require Canada or international bodies to adopt a new name.
Trump has indicated that his campaign to rename large bodies of water may not stop at Lake Ontario and the Gulf of Mexico.
Read also | Trump signs executive order renaming Lake Ontario “Lake America” effective immediately.
Trade war between the US and Canada
Tensions between the two sides have also escalated following the collapse of a trade deal and the war of words that followed. Last week, the US announced 50 percent tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports after Canada backed out of talks to finalize a trade deal.
After the Trump administration announced the tariffs, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney promised retaliation, saying Canada would retaliate dollar for dollar against the new tariffs. Carney also accused the US of failing to negotiate, calling the proposed terms “unfair”.
Read also | US to impose 50% tariffs on $20 billion worth of Canadian imports
He said in a statement: “I have decided to suspend trade negotiations with the US and have ordered Canadian negotiators to return to Ottawa.” He went on to say, “They (negotiators) worked hard, in good faith, to defend the interests of Canadians during these negotiations until the very last moment. However, the last-minute changes in the terms proposed by the US were unfair, uneconomic and called into question the reliability of any agreement.”
Ford vs. Trump
The trade dispute also fueled a war of words between Ford and Trump. Earlier this week, Ontario’s premier told the AP that Ronald Reagan would be “flabbergasted” over Trump’s tariff policy and “disgusted with President Trump.”
Trump attacked Ford, dismissing his comments as “bums,” calling him Carney’s “flunky” and mocking him as the “less charismatic, intelligent and generally bland brother” of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford.
