put very simply - a nation does not generate wealth by buying things at the lowest price it can find, but by selling things at the highest price that can be found. an economic model designed to keep consumer prices low at the expense of producing and selling items, which is what nafta is, is consequently a recipe for extreme wealth disparity and mass impoverishment.

as much as i rail against the oil industry, nafta would have left canada flat out bankrupt if it weren't for oil coming in and saving the day. the smart analysis is to realize that the effects of oil production on the economy are actually masking the damage that nafta has done.