A billboard with Maxime Bernier’s face and a slogan advocating against mass immigration has appeared in Halifax.

The ad prompts people to vote for the People’s Party of Canada and reads “Say NO to Mass Immigration.”

A third-party advertising group, True North Strong & Free Advertising Corp., paid for the billboard.

The organization is run by Frank Smeenk, the chief executive of a mining exploration company based in Toronto.

UPDATE: I spoke with the Executive Director of the People's Party. This is not an official PPC billboard, it was put up by a third party. She refused to say whether or not the People's Party or Leader @MaximeBernier supports the message on the billboard #cdnpoli — Cormac Mac Sweeney (@cmaconthehill) August 23, 2019

The group filed interim financial returns with Elections Canada that show it spent $59,890 on billboards in “select cities in Canada” and received $60,000 from Bassett & Walker International Inc., a company that specializes in the international trade of protein products.

Earlier this week, Smeenk declined to comment on the billboard beyond what appeared in the Elections Canada filing.