The Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference in Victoria, British Columbia, was intended to showcase military solidarity among 29 nations, including Canada, the U.S., and China. However, the event was overshadowed by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s social media post depicting two Canadian cadets with the caption “this is real,” which critics viewed as a disparagement of Canada’s military. This came amid heightened tensions following failed Canada-U.S. trade talks last month and recent derogatory comments from other Trump administration officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy.