Senior military leaders from Canada, the United States and more than two dozen other nations are gathering in Victoria this week under the theme of solidarity in an increasingly dangerous world. But that unity was at risk of shattering before the conference of Indo-Pacific defence chiefs began Tuesday, after U.S. Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted an image on social media apparently mocking Canadian cadets at a training centre in Vernon, B.C. The post, which depicted two young women in uniform and was captioned “this is real,” triggered widespread backlash online, with critics calling it an attempt to undermine and disparage the Canadian military at a time of heightened tensions after Canada-U.S. trade talks broke down last month. Defence minister responds Defence Minister David McGuinty called the post from his U.S. counterpart “below the dignity of the office he holds.” McGuinty was responding to questions from reporters after delivering opening remarks at the conference of senior military officials from 29 countries across the Pacific region, including China. “I think Canadians can understand the difference between the performative nature of an administration in the United States and understand the importance of the military-to-military co-operation, which continues,” McGuinty said. The U.S. remains a welcome military partner and a co-host of the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference, held annually around the Pacific region, the defence minister said. “The world is changing, the security environment is changing, and Canada is changing with it,” McGuinty told conference delegates, including Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the country’s highest ranking military officer. “We do know one fundamental truth upon which all of our work is predicated,” McGuinty added. “That is simply that we are stronger together, that we will have more influence in the world together, that there is more that binds us together than divides us, and that our shared common humanity is the way forward.” World ‘changing rapidly’ His remarks about a changing and more dangerous world were echoed by Caine, who serves as the chief military advisor to U.S. President Donald Trump. “The character of war is changing. Our foundation remains sound, but the environment around us is changing rapidly,” Caine told the gathering of leaders representing nations with a combined population of 4.7 billion. “The nations in this room are not watching that future approach,” he added. “We are living it. It is here right now.” The U.S. defence chief did not take questions from reporters and did not address the controversy surrounding the comments from Hegseth and others in the Trump administration who have recently mocked the Canadian Armed Forces. In recent days, U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, in an interview with CNBC, equated Canada’s navy with “two submarines from the Edmonton mall,” while U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News that Canada “doesn’t have a military.” McGuinty said Canada is rapidly becoming a stronger and more reliable security partner in the Indo-Pacific region and elsewhere, highlighting the military’s appointment earlier this year of the country’s first senior defence representative to the region. “Canada is a Pacific nation, and we intend to acquit ourselves of our responsibilities in the Pacific,” McGuinty said. “These investments are being made, these relationships are being strengthened, and it’s a wonderful opportunity for Canada to show leadership. And that’s exactly what we’re trying to do here for the next several days.”
