Glenn Hamer, CEO and president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, recently said it is time to see the 23-year-old NAFTA agreement “modernized and made better.”

The main ingredient needed to make the North American Free Trade Agreement better is to “find value-adds to areas that will result in benefits to the U.S., Canada and Mexico,” Hamer said in a posting on the chamber's website.

“The administration has expressed skepticism at multilateral trade deals, and instead wants to pursue bilateral arrangements as a general rule; This will not be beneficial for us when it comes to our North American neighbors,” Hamer said in the post.

Hamer’s resolution in providing an updated plan is to see a partnership between the countries involved. He said all need to understand “that Canada and Mexico seem committed to maintaining the trilateral nature of the agreement, the U.S. – meaning our governments at all levels and the nation’s business community – must work together to identify those areas that unquestionably benefit our country, but that are also beneficial to Mexico and Canada.”

This is of great importance because “the U.S.-Canada-Mexico trading relationship is now highly integrated with parts and supplies zipping across the border multiple times,” Hamer said.

If we cannot work together across national boundaries, Hamer said, it would not be a “good idea to put up barriers between neighboring states.”

Hamer said he expects an updated NAFTA would strengthen all those involved.