Claim: NAFTA can survive Democratic leader

MEXICO CITY, March 2 (UPI) -- Experts believe the North American Free Trade Agreement will be upheld if either Democratic presidential candidate is elected, it was reported.

The 1994 agreement helped to triple trade between the United States, Canada and Mexico to more than $900 billion each year, the Houston Chronicle reported. It also improved areas of northern Mexico and drastically sparked growth on the Texas border.

"There is great incentive to make NAFTA even stronger than it has been. The whole idea is to increase the competitiveness of North America through practical actions, recognizing that we are three sovereign, independent nations," U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez said.

The agreement's critics reportedly argue that unfit working conditions and low pay rates unfairly attract U.S. businesses to transport manufacturing to Mexico, which is blamed for draining jobs from industrial states like Ohio.

"We have to think about what kind of changes can be made that will be good for all three countries," Robert Scott of the Economic Policy Institute said.