My name is Tony Middleton. I'm a retired computer science professor, and I'm here as Joe Citizen.
In Canada and the U.S., wealth inequality is increasing. Quality jobs are being offshored. Debt loads are threatening economic stability. In the U.S. in particular, stability is maintained by increasing debt. Stability would disappear if they couldn't increase debt. Independent studies suggest that trade treaties may make things worse.
Furthermore, trade treaties limit our ability to repair the damage that's already been done. ISDS lawsuits can neutralize government attempts to stimulate their own economy. That can result in huge lawsuits, which can depend on projections of profits that can be rather fictitious.
ISDS lawsuits essentially make offshore tribunals superior to nation-state courts. They effectively rewrite the constitution of a country. They don't literally rewrite the constitution, they just declare that it's increasingly irrelevant.
Thank you.