U.S. President Donald Trump had described the prospect of Canada becoming the first associate member of the EU as "laughable."

Canada's leader draws regular scorn from President Trump, but European leaders gave him a standing ovation as they aim to push their ties to "the highest level."

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney secured this week an offer to become the European Union's first associate member, a mostly symbolic ​victory in his campaign to demonstrate Canada can flourish while decreasing its reliance on the United States.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney spent the past year arguing that Canada should stop taking orders from Washington and start building its own alliances. This week, Europe answered him directly with an open invitation that many see as a direct rebuke to President Donald Trump 's handling of America's closest neighbor.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks to the European Parliament, following the European Union's invitation to Canada to become the bloc's first "associate member," which rankled President Trump.

The bloc was dealing with "an openly hostile world", Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual ‌speech to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, ‌setting out priorities for the 27-nation EU for the year ahead.

Prime Minister Mark Carney's wife — is stepping into a new, unpaid role focused on ocean conservation, including chairing an international conference set to take place in Halifax next year.

Despite Trump's stern words about drugs entering the U.S. from Canada, data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) shows that drug seizures along the U.S.-Mexico border far outweigh those along the northern border with Canada.