Канада переориентируется на ЕС после смены названия Онтарио на «Америка» в Google Maps

“When the weak get strong seems like the only time that things will change,” Tragically Hip guitarist Paul Langlois sings on ‘When the Fish are Gone,’ an outstanding track from his brilliant 2026 solo album ‘Smooth Rock Falls.’ Although the Kingston’s rocker’s song is about ecological degradation and personal relationships, the lyrics of ‘When the Fish are Gone’ unintentionally capture the changing nature of Canadian-American relations. The traditional Canadian-American relationship was asymmetrical, meaning the U.S. was the dominant partner. But the interdependent partnership tended to be harmonious, because bilateral relations were guided by mutual respect and established norms and agreements. However, under President Donald Trump, the United States has become a predatory power, seeking to use asymmetrical trading relationships to subjugate once close allies. In other words, the U.S. is acting like a big bully. Prime Minister Mark Carney understands that a bully can never be appeased. “Our government understood before many that America would transform all of its commercial relationships, that it would put a series of tariffs on its closest allies, and use economic integration as a weapon,” Carney stated in an Aug. 22 press conference. “We can’t control the storm that blows in from Washington,” Carney said during the presser the day after Canada broke off trade negotiations with the U.S. due to last-minute demands made by the Trump regime that threatened Canadian sovereignty. “We can, however, chart a new course by building Canada strong at home and by diversifying our trading relationships abroad.” During his address to the World Economic Forum at Davos earlier this year, Carney declared: “We are no longer relying on just the strength of our values, but also on the value of our strength.” Lake Ontario Last month, Trump escalated his bullying of Canada, which he says should become the ’51 state.’ “BREAKING: President Trump officially changes the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America,” the official White House social media account posted on Aug. 27. The Canadian response to Trump’s executive order to rebrand Lake Ontario was clear and decisive. “The name Lake Ontario comes from the Wendat word Ontari’io, which, appropriately, means ‘the lake is beautiful, the lake is big,’” Carney stated in an Aug. 27 post. “The name is more than 400 years old, predating both the Confederation of Canada and the Declaration of Independence of the United States of America.” “Canadians also know that naming reality means calling it Lake Ontario – then, now and always,” the prime minister concluded. “It’s Lake Ontario to Canadians and the rest of the world. Now and forever,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared in a post that same day. Across social media, Canadians defiantly posted pictures of Lake Ontario, displaying the majestic beauty of the lake. On Aug. 29, Trump posted an AI generated video of himself kicking over a Lake Ontario sign and replacing it with a ‘Lake America’ sign. “This is not a joke, any more than European explorers planting a flag was a joke,” former Ontario premier Bob Rae responded in an Aug. 29 post. “He is claiming the water, ignoring the Treaty that created the International Joint Commission and the principle of joint management of shared resources.” Google Maps According to the Aug. 29th Google Newsletter, “the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has formally changed the name for ‘Lake Ontario’ to ‘Lake America’ in the United States.” And the tech behemoth announced that Google Maps had been updated “to reflect name changes in official government sources, which is GNIS for the U.S.” Many Canadians took to social media to declare their intention to delete Google Maps from their mobile devices. The controversy intensified on Aug. 30 when it became apparent that ‘Lake America’ was replacing Lake Ontario on Canadian websites that rely on Google Maps. “Some Ontario government agency websites pull map data directly from Google Maps,” Stephen Crawford, Ontario Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement, posted. “Following recent changes by Google, we’re actively reviewing our websites to make sure they all identify Lake Ontario by its correct name: Lake Ontario.” “A small but potent sign of why Canada needs digital sovereignty, fast,” Jim Stanford, economist and director at the Centre for Future Work, said in a post of the controversy. Americans tend to be ill informed, easily swayed by disinformation. So when Trump and Google Maps tell gullible Americans that Lake Ontario is ‘Lake America,’ some will believe the disinformation, setting the stage for further aggression against Canada. Canada builds strength “Canada is taking full responsibility for our own defence,” reads an Aug. 16 statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). “Canada’s new government is making generational investments in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) – reaching NATO’s 2% defence spending target for the first time since the fall of the Berlin Wall, transforming defence procurement, and securing more than 20 defence and security partnerships in a single year.” “Canada’s 15 in force free trade agreements open doors to over 1.5 billion consumers in 51 countries, strengthening our economic resilience and giving Canadians businesses unparalleled access to global markets,” Finance Canada declared in an Aug. 27 social media post. “This fall we will begin intense discussions with the European Union, the world’s second-largest economy, to build a much stronger and deeper economic and security partnership,” Carney said in public remarks on Aug. 24. Roberta Metsola, President of the European Parliament, announced in an Aug. 26 post that Carney will attend the Plenary Session of the European Parliament later this month. Before addressing the European Parliament, he will be a “guest of honour” at the State of the Union. Conclusion To borrow a turn of phrase from the prime minister, when the “fever” in the U.S. finally breaks, Americans will discover that Canada has moved on, embracing the European Union. “When the weak get strong, seems like the only time that things will change,” Paul Langlois sings. “But it all moves on, gets thrown into the muddle, gets re-arranged.” Follow Geoffrey P. Johnston on BlueSky @geoffypjohnston.bsky.social