Some Canadian Google Maps users have noticed an unsettling change—provincial parks are being labelled as “state” parks on the platform, fueling concerns about the erosion of Canada’s national identity.
“This alarming revelation has stirred many who have noticed, as it is an attack on our Canadian identity,” wrote Rachel Deren in a message to CTV News. “I would like to draw attention to this disgusting display of American oppression of Canadian culture and autonomy.”
Deren, along with other users, has been reporting these errors to Google, flagging the incorrect designation and submitting corrections.
Screenshots shared online—and verified by CTV News—show that parks such as Mount Robson Park, Whaleboat Island Marine Provincial Park, and Pinecone Burke Provincial Park have all been affected by the relabelling.
Additionally, Samantha Gietema, another concerned user, claimed that Google removed the “provincial park” category entirely from the app.
CTV News has reached out to Google for comment but has not yet received a response.
The controversy comes amid growing political tensions between Canada and the United States, particularly following U.S. President Donald Trump’s repeated references to Canada as “America’s 51st state.”
Trump has also referred to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as “Governor Trudeau” on social media, further inflaming Canadian frustration.
The map relabelling incident follows Trump’s January 20 executive order, titled “Restoring Names That Honor American Greatness,” which controversially renamed the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America” for U.S. users.
In Canada, Google Maps now displays “Gulf of America” in parentheses alongside the traditional name. The change prompted Mexico to threaten legal action against Google if the new label was not removed.
As public frustration grows, Canadian users continue to report the provincial park mislabeling in an effort to restore accurate designations. Whether Google will respond to the backlash remains to be seen.
Courtesy: CTV News