Last week, an executive order was signed by U.S. President Donald Trump to change the name of Lake Ontario to “Lake America.” However, this move has sparked discontent among some Americans, including lawmakers in the House of Representatives.
Democratic representatives Tim Kennedy, Joe Morelle, and Debbie Dingell introduced the Hands Off Our Great Lakes Act on Monday. This legislation not only seeks to revert the name change of Lake Ontario but also aims to prevent any future renaming of the Great Lakes.
The controversy arose when Google renamed Lake Ontario to “Lake America” on its Google Maps app for American users, and reports indicated that Trump had engaged with Apple to make a similar change on Apple Maps. However, American online mapping service MapQuest affirmed that it would retain the original name.
Kennedy, representing a district bordering Canada, explained to guest host Paul Hunter on The Current the rationale behind the efforts to reverse the name change in the U.S. Here are excerpts from their discussion, edited for brevity.
Could you provide insights into the bill you presented recently and its objectives?
The bill we introduced aims to revoke the president’s executive order renaming Lake Ontario, which we view as a diversion from more critical issues, such as the imposition of tariffs on Canada, our significant ally and neighbor. We are swiftly working to annul this executive order.
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Trump urged Apple to alter Lake Ontario to ‘Lake America’ on its maps: U.S. official
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