Ottawa to rename ‘Trump Avenue’ in protest over president’s clashes with Canada

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A street in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa is changing its name thanks to the ongoing trade war between Canada and the U.S.

‘Trump Avenue’ in Ottawa's Central Park district was named after Donald Trump long before he became the President of the United States, as New York icons adorn street signs throughout the neighborhood, CTV News reported.

Now though, his namesake is being removed after his aggressive tariff policies and threats to turn Canada into “The 51st State” created a widening rift between the two countries.

“I could speak at great length why I believe strongly it is time to rename Trump Avenue, but I don’t want to give a platform anymore to the person who is on the current street sign blades,” said River Ward Councillor, Riley Brockington.

The councillor explained the motion to rename the street was initiated by residents who want to distance themselves from the U.S. president.

“I do believe this is about a new beginning, and I want this to be a community-led process where the community ultimately will select and recommend to city council what that new name will be,” he added.

The motion was passed unanimously by Ottawa city council this week, and the new name of the street is now up for a vote among Trump Avenue residents themselves.

“I don’t like the idea of anything that’s named for Donald Trump, who has demonstrated hostility towards Canada,” Ottawa’s mayor Mark Sutcliffe said after the motion was approved.

The move comes a month after Trump signed an order to change Lake Ontario to “Lake America”, much like when he previously renamed the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

The president’s trade war with Ottawa began when he implemented tariffs on Canadian imports after returning to office last year.

However it has proved to be hugely unpopular on both sides of the border, with a new poll showing the majority of Americans and Canadians disapprove.

According to POLITICO, 83 percent of Canadians say Trump’s tariffs are a bad policy compared to just eight percent who approve. In the U.S., 56 percent of Americans said Trump was wrong to impose the tariffs, compared to just 26 percent who support them, the poll found.

Given the hostilities with the U.S., Canada and the European Union are working on an arrangement together to create an “associate member” role for the North American country within the European economic bloc.

Speaking about the need for this arrangement, Canadian finance minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said: “The world has changed. America has changed. So we need to change.”