GUELPH — Guelph NDP Andrew Seagram is the target of a new Conservative attack ad.

The ad, which superimposes a photo of Seagram against an image of a beach with footprints in the sand, was posted on the Conservative party of Canada's official Facebook page on Monday.

It uses comments it attributes to Seagram's Facebook page from Sept. 5, 2007.

"On Christians: Either mentally ill or a huge friend of Jesus. Either way, stay away from me," it reads.

The ad has generated a high volume of comments on social media, with 1,790 shares on Facebook as of Thursday afternoon.

The Mercury has not independently verified whether these comments are actually from Seagram's Facebook page.

His personal page appears to have been taken down.

A community page relating to his NDP candidacy does not contain any such remarks.

In the left hand corner it states the ad is "authorized by the registered agent of the Conservative Party of Canada."

The Mercury reached out to Seagram regarding the ad but he was not immediately available to comment.