The U.S. president has piqued the wrath of Canadians. We will govern ourselves accordingly. The boycott of American products and travel will continue.
By Sheila Copps
First published in The Hill Times on September 7, 2026.
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” It is that old saying that could apply when it comes to the modern name-calling emanating from the president of the United States and his team.
Some argue the saying is no longer valid as name-calling can be emotionally damaging, especially for young people.
From “Lake America” to body-shaming a young teenager, U.S. President Donald Trump and his associates seem to think there is nothing wrong with trashing their northern neighbour in whatever way possible.
The latest insult involved a posting by U.S. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who took a break from bombing the Strait of Hormuz to trash two Canadian female cadets through a reshared social media post, which he captioned, “This is real.”
The picture was of a cadet and a training officer. The cadet program is for Canadian youth between the ages of 12 and 18, and it teaches them about the military’s contributions.
Canada’s military leadership has not sought an apology from Hegseth, saying that it would be working with those photographed to decide on a course of action.
Prime Minister Mark Carney did weigh in, saying the “post was beneath their office.”
“When Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having the discussions, we can have those discussions. But it’s not constructive, but that’s their democracy.”
Canadians weren’t the only ones insulted by the post. Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, who had served in the Marine Corps, said while visiting Ottawa that the post was “deeply disrespectful to the men and women of Canada who have died fighting with us.”
Next week will mark a quarter century since the horrific attacks on the Twin Towers in New York, resulting in a massive loss of life and forever changing the security landscape for the world.
Canada was there to support the U.S. during this devastating time. More than 100,000 people gathered in a memorial service on Parliament Hill organized by the government of Canada.
The residents of Gander, N.L.—a community of 9,651 people—sheltered almost 7,000 people for several days while American airspace was closed because of the attacks.
Most of the stranded passengers were Americans, and some were so appreciative of the hospitality that they returned to establish permanent friendships and even scholarship funds to recognize the relationships. Come from Away, a musical that captures the spirit of Gander, has enjoyed success on Broadway and beyond.
From that period of friendship to today, the anti-Canadian name-calling has left our relationship with the U.S. in tatters.
Last week, Trump unilaterally changed the name of Lake Ontario to Lake America, and Google’s map service quickly followed suit even though the renaming has no international geographic standing.
But just north of that lake, thousands of people at a Blue Rodeo concert in Toronto on Aug. 29 sang loudly “out in the middle of Lake Ontario,” a lyric in the legendary Canadian band’s song, Hasn’t Hit Me Yet. The fans and the band took ownership of the name and its history.
Indigenous leaders pointed out the name existed before the beginning of Canada and cannot be abolished by presidential fiat. But Trump obviously doesn’t care what Canadians think. He doesn’t even seem to care what Americans think.
Canada is not the only recipient of Trump’s capricious renaming claims. After moving on Lake America, Trump is now suggesting that the Strait of Hormuz be renamed Trump Strait.
This past Wednesday, he posted a map showing the Strait as part of U.S. territory, even though navigation of the body of water is marred by the war started by Trump.
“Now that we have it under U.S.A. control, should we change the name to TRUMP STRAIT??? Like America itself, it would be ‘hotter’ than ever before!” posted Trump on his own social media site.
Trump has not moved officially on renaming the strait, and he has since suggested he wasn’t serious. Still, the president isn’t opposed to floating an idea on social media and then following it up with an executive order initialled with the flourish of his full-page signature.
The cascade of insults and braggadocio that has followed the collapse of the trade talks only serves to underscore that the Americans were never actually negotiating in good faith.
The president has piqued the wrath of Canadians. We will govern ourselves accordingly. The boycott of American products and travel will continue.
Trump’s name-calling only serves to strengthen our resolve.
Sheila Copps is a former Jean Chrétien-era cabinet minister and a former deputy prime minister. Follow her on Twitter at @Sheila_Copps.