Canada Slams Hegseth Post Mocking Canadian Cadets

US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has drawn criticism from Canadian officials after sharing a social media post that appeared to mock members of Canada's youth cadet programme.

Hegseth posted an image originally published by the social media account of a local cadet training branch. The photograph showed a young cadet receiving an award from her instructor.

Alongside the image, Hegseth added a Canadian flag emoji and the words "this is real", which Canadian officials and others interpreted as a disparaging reference to the appearance of the cadet and her instructor.

Canadian Defence Minister David McGuinty condemned the post on Tuesday, saying it was "below the dignity of the office".

The incident comes as relations between the United States and Canada remain strained by an ongoing trade dispute. The disagreement has repeatedly spilled into public exchanges, with officials in the Trump administration also questioning Canada's reliance on the United States for aspects of its national defence.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney was asked about Hegseth's post and other recent comments from members of the Trump administration.

Carney said Canada would only resume trade discussions with Washington when US officials adopted a more serious approach.

He said negotiations would restart "when the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions".

The Pentagon has defended Hegseth's post by saying it "speaks for itself".

Canada's national cadet programme is overseen by the country's military and provides leadership, skills and other training to young people aged between 12 and 18.

The Army Cadet League of Canada, a civilian organisation that supports the programme, also criticised the social media post.

In a statement, the organisation said it strongly condemned "any online harassment, or mockery of cadets' achievements".

"Directing derogatory commentary toward youth who are actively working to better themselves and serve their communities is unacceptable," the organisation said.

The dispute adds another point of tension between Ottawa and Washington at a time when the two countries are already engaged in difficult discussions over trade and broader bilateral relations.