On September 23, 2006, the Liberal Party investigated Volpe's campaign on suspicion of questionable recruitment tactics in Quebec. Volpe had signed up 4,000 new members in the province, more than any other candidate. Several new party members in Montreal were reported as having been improperly registered, and at least nine members were signed up by the Volpe camp without their knowledge or without paying the $10 fee. In two of the cases, the signed-up members were deceased. There was speculation that Volpe would withdraw from the contest after these allegations but he declined to do so, saying that his campaign was not aware of any wrongdoing. Some of Volpe's supporters suggested that Michael Ignatieff's team was running a smear campaign against him. Volpe also argued that his ethnicity may have been a factor in the accusations, suggesting that they came from those who believed he was "not Canadian enough". A similar sentiment was echoed by former Public Works minister Alfonso Gagliano, banned from the party for being implicated in the Sponsorship scandal, who urged Volpe to stay in the race and fight the allegations. Some prominent Liberals, including Scott Reid, were strongly critical of Volpe's response.