Learning the issues with NAFTA can help a person understand its importance and value.

What NAFTA Concerns Have Been Voiced

Whereas many support NAFTA and claim that it is essential for the strength of the American economy in the face of global change, others insist that NAFTA is detrimental to the very fiber of capitalism and the spirit of democracy. Their arguments can be found below:

One cited concern is the accoutrement that nothing sold as a commodity can be limited as a commodity that can be sold in the future. This has raised concerns in Canada especially, which has sold its natural waters as a commodity in the past, and lament the possibility of the continued consumption of its natural water negatively affecting its ecosystems and water supply.

An additional concern of NAFTA is the loss of Canadian and American jobs in the industrial sector. While an increase in net output and domestic investment reportedly resulted from NAFTA, employment steadily declined between 1993 and 2007. This has resulted in outcry from both Canadian and American stakeholders who claim that while large firms may have benefited, the workforce has lost jobs to cheaper labor outsourced from Mexico.

The last oft-cited concern is the fact that all three countries have violated various NAFTA terms. These include the U.S.’s refusal to allow Mexican trucks on U.S. highways, Mexico’s violation of Mexican worker’s freedom of association, Canada’s attempts to hinder American print advertising, and environmental violations in all three countries. Nonetheless, these violations have been purported to have little influence on the overall success of NAFTA.