The North American Free Trade Agreement: Labor, Industry, and Government Perspectives

After more than two years of negotiations, in December 1992, the governments of Canada, Mexico, and the United States signed the North American Free Trade Agreement. During the months leading up to the signing, labor, industry, environment, and religious groups from the three countries actively debated and lobbied their respective trade negotiators to gain support for their particular concerns. Lobbying by these groups continues as policy deliberations shift from treaty negotiations to the submission of enabling legislation and, ultimately in the United States, congressional authorization.

This volume brings together key spokespeople from labor, industry, and government and presents the main arguments for and against the Free Trade Agreement as well as views on the Agreement’s impact. The book is intended for policy makers, business managers, labor organizations, environmentalists, academics, students, and others who have an interest in understanding and exploring the issues surrounding the NAFTA debate.