After failed trade negotiations between Canada and the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 27 to rename Lake Ontario to “Lake America.”
Great Lakes Now remains committed to reporting on the lakes our binational audience loves. To get an idea of how they feel about the name change, we put out a poll.
After seven days and 820 responses, 97.1% of respondents said they will continue to use the name Lake Ontario while 2.9% selected Lake America.
With a majority of votes coming from Michigan, Ontario was the second state or province along our great waters to cast the most votes.
Here are some additional, anonymous comments:
Note: Some of these quotes have been condensed for ease of reading.
Michigan
“I apologize to my friendly neighbors in Canada.”
“HOMES is so much better than SHAME as an acronym for our Great Lakes.”
“To Canada, we love you!”
“Both sides are guilty of this. So don’t make it a political partisan thing for Trump only. The Democrats have done this as well. Mount Denali, anyone.”
Ontario
“Your president is a buffoon.”
“This [is] not worth getting all worked [up] about.”
“Why?? With all the issues in the world does the Trump administration need to pick fights with your closest allies.”
“Elbows Up…”
“We have family and friends in Michigan and Ohio. It is very disturbing that the current U.S. administration has such animosity towards Canada.”
Ohio
“WHO GETS ANGRY at Canada? The very notion is absurd…”
“Canada should be our best friend and closest ally, this administration is awful.”
“And shame on Google for following. I may have to go find MapQuest to use instead!”
New York
“My maternal family’s home was located on the shores of Lake Ontario at the Mohawk Bay of Quinte band. It is an insult to their heritage and history to call it by any other name.”
“I am ashamed that I voted for him once.”
“We Buffalonians love our Canadian neighbors.”
Wisconsin
“The whole situation with Canada is unconscionable.”
“I voted for the guy. What a mistake.”
Minnesota
“Don’t create more chaos.”
“Our politicians need to focus on meeting the basic needs of general average Americans and not throw out distractions that delay important issues of health care, livable wage, public education, and following the constitution.”
Indiana
“U.S. & Canadian people, families, and communities have long been united by the Great Lakes fresh-water systems long before there [ever] was a U.S. or a Canada. The demilitarization, peace, and mutual allied trade on one of the planet’s largest watersheds for more than two centuries has been one of the greatest achievements of international relations & peace…”
“There is absolutely no reason for this. It erases the history of the name. What happened to no new wars, cheaper groceries, and America First? What do we gain from this?”
Pennsylvania
“What a waste of time and resources. Along with complete ignorance of history and geography.”
Quebec
“Totally stupid!”
Other states and provinces
“Fine with it. But we need a new acronym when we’re teaching the kids in school [what] the lake names are.”
“I am Canadian, and this is my opinion: It gets harder and harder to excuse fellow neighbouring Americans for their gullibility and willingness to either condone or accept an apparently never-ending list of idiotic claims, ‘facts,’ and ill-conceived ‘plans’ coming out of the White House that change with the wind…”
“Canada has taken advantage of America as other countries have for decades sadly!”
“It boggles the mind how this is even possible.”
