Controversy over McCain? More like the odd comment here or there, with mostly silence from the Tea Party. The only "controversy" I saw was the left wing pointing out the hypocrisy involved. Also note the lack of whinging about Ted Cruz being born in Canada. And Chester A. Arthur's presidency took place in the 19th century, when social dynamics were vastly different (mainly that Canada was still a British dominion at the time, and Americans weren't exactly on the best terms with the English throne), so it doesn't really apply to a modern scenario.
By comparison, look at the widespread "Birther" movement, which gained so much ground that the White House was actually forced to release Obama's birth certificate (and that still didn't shut the birthers up). Not to mention the heavily racial language used by a lot of Birthers...