The person who used to head up BlackBerry when the Canadian tech giant’s name was Research in Motion is warning that the Trans-Pacific Trade deal could be the worst public policy decision in Canadian history.

Jim Balsillie says provisions tucked into the deal the Harper government signed during the election campaign could cost Canada hundreds of billions of dollars.

After looking at the treaty’s final text, Balsillie says the deal contains “troubling” rules on intellectual property and could make Canada a “permanent underclass” in selling ideas because Canadian innovators would have to play by rules set by the U.S.

The deal must still be ratified by all 12 nations involved, and the Trudeau Liberals have yet to say how they will proceed.