Lots of comments here disparaging O'leary.

I am not an O'leary fan, but the fact is that the membership rules were changed to personal credit card or cheque after certain individuals were found to be signing up bogus members by paying with cash during local riding candidate contests in 2015. The new members didn't even know that they had been signed up, which is how this was discovered.

So this story does not surprise me at all.

Bogus membership and donations happens at all levels and in all parties, which is why in Quebec all political donations (provincial and municipal) have to be accompanied by  the donor's signature that must then be remitted to Elections Quebec.

However, I doubt that  Bernier was personally aware.