Arabic version: كندا تندد بمنشور هيغسيث عن طلاب عسكريين
According to BBC News, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has faced criticism in Canada after sharing a social media image of a young cadet receiving an award from her instructor. Hegseth added a Canadian flag emoji and the caption “this is real”, in a post seen as mocking the pair’s appearance and disparaging Canada’s military.
Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty said on Tuesday that the post was “below the dignity of the office”. The national cadet programme, overseen by the military, provides leadership and skills training for young people aged 12 to 18. The Army Cadet League of Canada, a civilian organisation supporting the programme, said it strongly condemned “any online harassment, or mockery of cadets’ achievements”. It said derogatory comments directed at youth working to improve themselves and serve their communities were unacceptable.
Canada’s top military commander, General Jennie Carignan, told CBC that officials were in contact with the cadets involved and were consulting them about how they wanted to proceed. Scott Anderson, a Conservative member of parliament for Vernon and former military reservist, told Hegseth he had failed to meet the “responsibility and decorum” of his title, accusing him of insulting two female Canadian non-combatants and intentionally shaming them before millions. Some Canadians and pundits described the post as body-shaming. The Pentagon said Hegseth’s post “speaks for itself”.
The dispute comes as trade talks between Canada and the US remain strained. Prime Minister Mark Carney said discussions would resume only “when the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions”. Talks broke down last month, after which the US imposed 50% tariffs on some $20bn (C$28bn) of Canadian imports; Canada plans matching countermeasures next week. Despite the exchanges, the countries have long been defence partners and allies, including during the war in Afghanistan.
