But I have got to say that one of the sad things that I have observed in the debate on trade is that it is blamed for virtually every ailment of society. In fact. I often am reminded of the fact that one time a constituent came up to me a couple of years ago and said we didnt have a single illegal immigrant coming from Mexico into the United States until you passed the North American Free Trade Agreement. We know very well that the North American Free Trade Agreement has actually created a third of a trillion dollars in crossborder trade between the United States and Mexico. I argue that the problem of illegal immigration would have been dramatically worsened had we not put into place the trade agreement which has improved the quality of life and the standard of living in both countries. I will say that the middleclass population in Mexico today is larger than the entire Canadian population. and that is by virtue of the fact that we have seen economic growth take place in Mexico that is a byproduct of the North American Free Trade Agreement. But having said all of that. as we will continue to rage on with the debate on the benefits of trade as we face.
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illegal immigration illegal immigrant