Katrina Castro

Social 10-1
Block 3

NAFTA Position Paper

Predominant components that shift standpoints and creates controversy are

associated with the fundamentals of the North American Free Trade Agreements.
These components include interconnections, economies, and major impacts. NAFTA is
a treaty between the countries Canada, United States and Mexico in which they agreed
to remove trade barriers between them, allowing an increase in investment
opportunities in NAFTA. The source covered on NAFTA creates presumptions on the
controversial topic regarding the beliefs on both the pros and cons of free trade. The
cartoon portrays a factory in Canada shutting down and being relocated to countries in
the south as manufacturing are at low cost. This introduces a great portion of the job
loss prospect sent from Canada to the countries in the south. Avoiding governmental
regulations is a strong factor affecting the outsourcing of these developing countries.
The cartoonist depicts what seems to be a happy wealthy man because he is able to
purchase a “Mexican Chain” and a “U.S. Padlock” due to NAFTA. While analyzing the
entire source and issue, one should not support NAFTA as it erodes predominance and
independence in countries through the formation of job loss. As well, enabling
transnational corporations to oppose government regulations through the use of poor
countries for the solitary pursuit of benefits such as profit.

The inclusion of developing countries in NAFTA easily permits transnational

corporations to disregard higher wages and government regulation as well as,
manufacture and outsource products in impoverished countries. Companies can
effortlessly ship their products back to their country after manufacturing procedures.
These scenarios lead to job loss in countries like Canada and the United States while
supporting domination over countries with little to no regulation and power. An example
of NAFTA being at its ‘ugliest’ is having the General Motors closing their factories in
Canada and shifting and rebuilding them in Mexico. Here they are able to pay workers
at lower wages and freely ship their products back to consumers in Canada. The
discontinuation of these General Motors caused thousands of workers in Canada to lay
off, finding that it created a more extensive impact on the economy. Momentous
alterations must hover over these easy routes on government regulations which can
result in the cessation of evil corporate greed that does not benefit all.

Despite having shortcomings, the North American Free Trade Agreement

enables free trading between Canada, United States, and Mexico, resulting in
interconnections with world economies through the relegations of trade in farm
productions, automobiles, clothing, and many more. The defects, however, come within
trading practices which encompasses economical overthrow on developing nations for
the aspiration of achieving sovereignty and bad pursuits. The cartoon evidently brings
one to believe that NAFTA gives power to the wrong hands, calling for immediate
revisions. Now, one is left to ponder, despite the involvement of interconnection, to what
extent should we adopt to NAFTA and allow these three nations to work around
government policies through the use of developing countries for the intent of making a
profit?