The Conservative Party is accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government of wanting Canadians to “eat bugs” after reports of an accident at a cricket factory in London, Ont. Companies that received federal funds are laying off two-thirds of their employees.
Aspire Food Group’s facility, which farms crickets primarily used in pet food, will lay off 100 of its 150 employees as it revamps its production system. agfunder news Reported. According to reports, the company plans to rehire employees in the summer.
The Conservatives caught on to the news and sent an email to supporters on Thursday criticizing the Liberal government for investing $8.5 million in the facility in 2022.
“Prime Minister Justin Trudeau bet $9 million of your money on edible insects! He wants Canadians to own nothing, be happy and eat crickets,” the email read. It was dark.
The email ends with the phrase “patriotic Canadians don’t eat bugs,” and directs supporters to an online petition titled “We Don’t Eat Bugs.”
Conservative leader Pierre Poièvre also criticized the government on social media, but mainly focused on the decision to provide taxpayer funding for the project.
“Liberals are spending $9 million of the public’s money on edible insect factories, and now we’re getting ‘crickets’ from them about where that money goes,” Poilievre said. I wrote this in a post on Twitter.
CBC News contacted Aspire for confirmation of this story, but did not receive a response.
CBC News also asked the Prime Minister’s Office and the Agriculture Minister’s Office for comment on the layoffs, but they were directed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
The ministry said the funding for Aspire was allocated through a program aimed at “accelerating the commercialization and introduction of innovative products, technologies, processes and services” in the agricultural sector.
“The Government of Canada is committed to supporting innovations that improve the sustainability and competitiveness of Canada’s agriculture and agri-food sectors,” the ministry said in a statement.
Aspire says crickets are a more sustainable way to farm protein because they require fewer resources than traditional sources.
The facility farms crickets and produces protein powder, which is primarily used in pet food. The company’s co-founders have indicated in the past that they would like to sell the product for human consumption.
“Our long-term vision is to ensure that this is an available and affordable source of protein to truly address food insecurity in many countries around the world.” Mohamed Ashour told CBC News when it went live.
The plant has a history of conspiracy theories.
In 2022, Aspire signed a memorandum of understanding with Korea-based food distribution company Lotte Confectionery to identify markets in Asia and Europe for its products. However, the facility still appears to be primarily aimed at the pet food market, according to a report from AgFunderNews.
A government statement announcing the federal investment also suggested the facility could be used for “high-end health foods.” Some health food stores in Canada sell cricket protein for human consumption, primarily in powdered form.
The government is offering small subsidies to companies such as Narc that sell cricket products for human consumption, the newspaper reported. government open database.
The Aspire factory has been found to be at the center of an international conspiracy theory that claims a dark cabal is trying to force the population to eat insects as part of an evil totalitarian plot.
News that the factory would be completed in 2022 quickly spread on social media pages promoting conspiracy theories. 1 piece of Chinese mail It claimed the facility was part of a “Great Reset” plan aimed at stopping people from owning things.
similar posts black sheep truth mediaA Facebook group promoting a number of conspiracy theories claimed the Aspire factory was a “solution” to “planned food shortages”.
