For some activists, the defeat of the Stephen Harper–led regime created a conundrum.

What do you do when the right-wing autocrat you've rallied against is replaced by a smiling, younger, progressive prime minister who professes to take climate change seriously and who wants to create a new relationship with indigenous people?

For the folks at ShitHarperDid, aka SHD, it meant switching gears and focusing on the Trans Pacific Partnership. It's a trade deal negotiated last year between 12 Pacific Rim countries, including Canada.

The TPP has already come under fire from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives for its potential to lead to higher pharmaceutical prices.

Meanwhile, OpenMedia has condemned the TPP for its potential for stifling the dissemination of information over the Internet.

ShitHarperDid wants Canadians to know more about how this trade agreement enables corporations to challenge government regulations that protect public health and the environment.

The group of activists are concerned that young people don't fully understand how the TPP extends corporate power through its investor-state dispute-settlement mechanism.

Under this clause, companies can file lawsuits against governments if they feel they're treated unfairly. And these trade complaints are adjudicated by tribunals rather than the courts.

Check out the video below to witness an amusing, albeit disturbing look at this issue.

Investor-state lawsuits are already part of Chapter 11 of the North American Free Trade Agreement. According to the CCPA, this has led to Canada paying out $172 million.

The Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the European Union has faced delays because of the EU's objections to including a similar clause.

At the World Trade Organization, only national governments can file trade complaints against other governments.

For more information on which companies are using investor-state dispute-settlement mechanisms to undermine public policies in North America, visit suecanada.ca.