During Blue Rodeo’s performance of Hasn’t Hit Me Yet by Lake Ontario on Saturday, the lyrics resonated with Canadians amidst U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision to rename the lake to “Lake America.”
At the RBC Amphitheatre in downtown Toronto, thousands of fans broke into song, particularly when the line “Out in the middle of Lake Ontario” from the 1993 hit was sung, leading to a prolonged applause captured in widely shared online videos.
Jim Cuddy, the lead singer, described the moment as “glorious” during an interview on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning on Tuesday.
The recent focus on Lake Ontario stems from President Trump’s executive order to rename it “Lake America” following failed trade negotiations with Canada.
Jim Cuddy, the frontman of Blue Rodeo, has been vocal about fostering Canadian unity amidst the trade dispute with the U.S. In 2025, he participated in the “Elbows Up, Canada!” event in Toronto.
When Blue Rodeo reached the part of the song mentioning Lake Ontario, singer Greg Keelor urged the 16,000-strong audience to sing the words with a sense of ownership, with the actual lake visible in the background.
The crowd passionately belted out the lyrics.
Cuddy emphasized the need for Canadians to have an avenue to express their frustrations, especially given the ongoing tensions and trade war with the U.S., labeling the debate over Lake Ontario’s name as “puzzling.”
Regarding the band’s stance on potential U.S. performances, Cuddy stated that they prefer to stand by their Canadian roots, emphasizing the importance of solidarity during such times.
Google Maps users in the U.S. were informed by Google on Saturday that the lake would be referred to as “Lake America” instead of Lake Ontario. Additionally, President Trump has urged Apple to update its maps to reflect this change.
Both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford have rejected the proposed name alteration, with Carney highlighting the historical significance of Lake Ontario’s name derived from the Wendat term “Ontari’io,” meaning “beautiful, big lake.”
Ford displayed a new sign in Hamilton reading “Lake Ontario Now and Always” as a symbolic gesture against the renaming, affirming that regardless of President Trump’s decision, the world will always recognize it as Lake Ontario.
