Pete Hegseth’s post just the latest ‘frat boy’ insult to Canada, academics say

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeNewsCanada Pete Hegseth's post just the latest 'frat boy' insult to Canada, academics say U.S. officials have mocked Canada's naval power and military cadet training, and keep referring to the country as a state Author of the article: By Chris Knight Published Sep 01, 2026 Last updated 16 hours ago 5 minute read Join the conversation U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testifies during a Senate Committee on Appropriations hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on July 21, 2026. PHOTO BY ALEX WROBLEWSKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES Article content Anti-Canadian rhetoric by U.S. officials is being characterized by two political experts as “really weird, really bizarre” and “frat house humour.” Article content The latest example comes from U.S. Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth, who posted to social media yesterday an image of a female cadet and instructor at a Canadian military training camp, seeming to mock the picture by commenting with a Canadian flag and the words: “(this is real).” Article content Article content Article content The original image was posted a week ago by the Instagram account of the Vernon cadet training facility in British Columbia, with the caption: “Congratulations and well done to all recipients who received awards on the final day of Vernon CTC 2026! This is recognition of the amazing effort you have all put in as course cadets and staff!” Article content NP Posted Get a dash of perspective along with the trending news of the day in a very readable format. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content Hegseth did not explain his comment but it was widely taken to be a poke at the instructor’s size, given his repeated use of the phrase “fit not fat” in relation to the desired state of the U.S. military. Article content Asked about recent remarks by the Trump administration on Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney said: “It’s beneath their office.” He added: “When the Americans stop doing memes, stop throwing shade, stop trying to be tough and start being serious about having those discussions, we can have those discussions.” Article content Phil Triadafilopoulos, a professor of political science at the University of Toronto, called remarks by Hegseth and others “weird” and “novel,” adding they…