The main reason why NAFTA was controversial was the fear of losing the jobs because of the cheaper labor force. The United States and Canada are both countries with high standard of living, thus the wages are high. Mexico, the third party in NAFTA, is a developing country, thus the standard of living is much lower and the wages too. The controversy was largely that once the borders are open, the large companies will use the cheap labor of Mexico and open up facilities in there, while the workers in the United States and Canada will lose their jobs because of it. This is always a big issue when it comes to the trade organizations, especially when the countries included are not on the same level of economic development.