The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is a historic trade agreement between Canada, Mexico, and the United States. NAFTA has fundamentally altered the economic landscape of North America and has created new opportunities and challenges for businesses, workers, and consumers.

So, what year was the NAFTA agreement signed? The answer is 1994. The agreement was signed by President Bill Clinton, Mexican President Carlos Salinas, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney on December 17, 1992. The agreement took effect on January 1, 1994.

NAFTA is a comprehensive trade agreement that created a single market between the three countries. The agreement eliminated tariffs on goods and services traded between the three countries, and it created new rules for intellectual property, investment, and dispute resolution. The agreement is designed to promote greater economic integration between the three countries and to increase trade and investment flows.

NAFTA has had a significant impact on North American trade and investment. Since the agreement was signed, trade between the United States, Canada, and Mexico has more than tripled, and the three countries have become more closely integrated economically. NAFTA has also spurred investment flows between the three countries, as companies seek to take advantage of the integrated market created by the agreement.

Despite its benefits, NAFTA has also been controversial. Critics of the agreement argue that it has led to job losses and wage stagnation in some industries, particularly in the United States. They also claim that the agreement has led to environmental degradation and social inequality in some parts of North America.

In response to these criticisms, NAFTA has been renegotiated in recent years. In 2018, the leaders of the three countries signed a new agreement called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which modernizes and updates NAFTA. The new agreement includes new provisions on intellectual property, digital trade, and labour rights, among other things.

In conclusion, the NAFTA agreement was signed in 1994 and has had a significant impact on North American trade and investment. The agreement has created a single market between Canada, Mexico, and the United States and has increased economic integration between the three countries. While some concerns have been raised about the agreement, NAFTA remains a historic achievement in North American economic cooperation.