Lake Ontario, the vast body of water that straddles the Canada-US border, has had many names over the centuries: Lake Saint-Louis, Lacus Ontarius, Skaniadorio, Lake Cataraqui. But according to Canadian rock star Bryan Adams, it will never be called Lake America.
In his new song Lake Ontario, Adams attacks US President Donald Trump, accusing him of “breaking the peace” between the people who live on the shores of the lake.
Trump signed an executive order in August directing U.S. federal agencies to rename Lake Ontario “Lake America,” echoing his earlier, widely mocked decision to rename the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of America.”
The move further escalated a feud with Canada that has strained the long-standing alliance between the two countries. Trump’s decision was widely met with derision in Canada, with some pointing out that the province of Ontario is named after the lake, not the other way around. Adams’ lyrics emphasize the roots of the name:
THE ‘lake with shining waters“that’s what the Iroquois called it
It’s a First of all Name of nations – not a decree.
Adams’ words also suggest that Trump’s name-drop was intended to distract from the president’s other political issues, including the war in Iran and renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein’s records.
But things did not go as planned in Iran
So like a baby throwing the toys out of the pram
But it seems like another distraction
While the Epstein files gained ground
The song is part of what Adams described in a recent interview as a broader “love letter” to Canada: a songwriting project that began with an invitation from a film company to write about Canada’s maritime provinces and has since blossomed into the upcoming album How’s It Goin’.
“After I finished the first song, I moved on to that one, then another, and then I started thinking maybe I should continue with my theme,” he said.
In addition to tributes to Canadian heroes, the album also includes 51st State, released on July 1 – Canada Day – as another repudiation of Trump, in this case his efforts to annex Canada.
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You can push us to the brink
But where the open road divides
You will find a maple wall
With us on the other side.
The first time he performed the song in public was in the United States.
“We didn’t know how people were going to react,” he said. “But we got a standing ovation every night for it. It made me think: Maybe, finally, the tide is turning.”
Gn entert
