Irish expats in Toronto were left a little shellshocked this week by a very controversial ad campaign.

The ad, posted on a truck which has been driving around Toronto's streets in the last couple of weeks, shows an Irish flag and the message "Go Home Irish!" It also features a website, helpfully titled PleaseLeaveCanada.com.

Before you start ringing up the Irish Embassy in Canada to complain though, it might be worth noting that the campaign is more than a little tongue-in-cheek.

The website listed actually redirects users to an Irish ad agency's site, where the following message is displayed:

Aaaaw.

"We want you to come home. Not as much as your mum, but still," the folks at The Social House add on their blog. "We’re going through a growth spurt at the moment, and would love to add talented, prolific, skilled people to the mix, both on the account handling and creative sides of the office."

The ad has popped up outside a number of high-profile ad agencies in Toronto of late, in the hope of catching the attention of some talented Irish employees who might be lured into moving home. Cheeky, but we like it.