Green Party members are voting on Annamie Paul's leadership weeks after she said she would quit

Green Party of Canada members have started voting on whether toremoveAnnamie Paul as party leader roughly a month after Paul herself announced her resignation.

"Yes, the leadership review is underway," Green Party communications director John Chenerysaid in an email to CBC.

Voting on Paul's leadership review began yesterday and will end on Nov. 25,the day before the party's next scheduled virtual general meeting. It's the second attempt to eject Paul from the leadership since the summer.

The Green Party of Canada is moving ahead with the leadership votedespitePaul announcing on Sept. 27 thatshe would be stepping down.The Toronto Star first confirmed party president Lorraine Rekmans launched the leadershipreview days after the federal election.

Paul personally failed to secure a seat in that electionand the Green Party saw itsshare of the national vote diminish.Such leadershipreviews are considered routine and follow anelection loss, but the speed with whichthe party moved to launch the review reportedlycaught some ofPaul's supporters off-guard.

Paul's departure delayed

According to an email obtained byCBC, Paul first learned of the leadership review on Sept. 26. One day later, Paulannounced her resignationa move that should have made the leadership review moot.

But Paul's departure is moving slower than many in the partyexpected. She was supposed to leave earlier this month, following exit negotiations with the party.

Paul and the party are negotiating compensation for the legal fees she incurred taking theparty's top brass to arbitration to block theirlast attempt to remove her from the leadership.In July, some on the Greens' federal council attempted to trigger an early leadership review after one of the party'sMPs, Jenica Atwin, crossed the floor to the Liberals.

The arbitrator ruled in Paul's favour, telling federal partycouncilmembersthey could not proceed. Unsatisfied with the ruling, the party executive filed a notice ofapplication for leave to appeal in the Ontario Superior Court that argued the arbitrator erred.

One person connected to the party, but not authorized to speak publicly, told CBC News that court application hasbeen withdrawn. The Ontario Superior Court indicates it is still an active case.

It's not known how much compensation Paul is seeking. Green Partysources tellCBCthat while the party isn't opposed to paying for Paul's legal fees,it's struggling with fundraising.Last week, the party laid off 11 staffers.

"We have been running large monthly deficits since February of this year, and our financial situation is not sustainable," saysan internal party memo from the party's financial arm, the Green Fund.

"These layoffs are vitally important to avoiding insolvency and putting our party on secure financial footing heading into the next election keeping in mind the minority nature of our current government."