Lake Ontario cap maker opposes Trump’s ‘Lake America’ order

Canadian entrepreneur Liam Mooney is selling caps defending the name Lake Ontario after President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the US-Canada border lake would be called “Lake America”.

The cap says “Lake Ontario” with a small maple leaf on the front and “Canada is not for sale” on the back. Mooney says he has received several thousand orders from around the world.

Mooney says the renaming is “absurd” and “extremely dangerous” because Lake Ontario is a shared responsibility between Canada and the United States. He says proceeds from the cap sales will go to an organisation dedicated to protecting the lake.

Lake Ontario’s name has Indigenous origins and predates the creation of Canada’s province of Ontario.

Mooney previously made a “Canada is not for sale” cap after Trump repeatedly called for Canada to become the 51st US state. Sales rose after Ontario Premier Doug Ford wore it to a meeting with then-prime minister Justin Trudeau and other officials during a trade dispute with the United States.

The Lake Ontario order has also drawn satire and public criticism in Canada. A large sign was put up Saturday on the lake shore showing the name Lake Ontario with the words “Now and Always” in French and English.

“Long before President Trump, this lake was called Lake Ontario. And long after President Trump is gone, it will still be called Lake Ontario,” Ford said.

The dispute comes during wider strain between the two countries. On August 21, Prime Minister Mark Carney broke off trade talks with Washington, accusing the White House of pushing an “unfair” agreement on Canada. Both sides later announced fresh tariffs.