High-profile resignations force Green Party to consider scaling back leadership contest

In the wake ofseveral high-profile resignations from its leadership committee, the federal Green Party islooking at curtailingsome aspects ofitsleadership race.

According to multiple Green Party sources, party officials are discussinghow theycan run a leadership contest now that four members of the committee have resigned.

The sources, who are not authorized to speak publicly,tell CBCNews the party may hold fewer formal leadership events and is considering condensing two rounds of voting into one.

The party was expected to announcethe leadership finalists following thefirst round of votingon Oct. 14 and then introduce itsnew leader on Nov. 19.

The Green Party federal council, the party's governing body, has made no decisions yet. The body is scheduled to meet next Wednesday. Interim leader Amita Kuttnertold a news conference on Wednesday thatthe race is still onand the party will publish more details soon.

This month, Lorraine Rekmans resigned fromher roleon the leadership committee and as president of the party. She cited the party's refusal to pause the leadership race until it could investigate allegations of systemic discrimination in the party allegations which came to the fore whenKuttner was misgenderedat a leadership launch.

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The CBCs David Thurton talks with interim leader Amita Kuttner, outgoing party president Lorraine Rekmans and others about internal strife within the Green party.

Following Rekmans' resignation, three other committee members Natalie Odd, Michael MacLean and John Willson quit their postsvia email.

"I am surprised and disappointed to learn that the (leadership committee) recommendations to federal council, for the protection of LGBT+ members against possible harms during the operation of the Leadership Contest, was refused," said Willson's resignation email, viewed byCBC News.

"We regret the unfortunate sequence of events that have occurred. It is not what we had envisioned," said a joint resignation letter filed by Odd and MacLean andobtained by CBC News. "Contest operations are transferred to (Green Party) staff who will work with volunteers."

Although Odd, MacLean and Willsonhave left the committee, they retain their key roles on federal council and with the Green Party Fund.

Sources tell CBC their departures undermine preparations for theleadership vote, which was supposed to be conducted primarily online.When the leadership race launched in August, the party promised it would be its most technologically advanced ever.

Virtual campaign events and the party'swebsite require a lot oftechnical and time-consuming work. But the Green Party of Canada is facing a financial crunch and relies on unpaid volunteers. Some of that expertise is now gone due to the recent resignations, sources said.

MP Elizabeth May, the party's former leader, is running for the post of co-leader this time. She saidthe party must proceed with the contest despite the setbacks.

"I was in the leadership race in 2006," May said. "And we had less resources, fewer people, and we ran a very credible campaign and leadership contest, with a debate in English in Calgary and a debate in French in Montreal. Several bilingual debates in Ottawa."

Former Green Party interim leader Jo-Ann Roberts said the party should be able to proceed with therace without too much difficulty because most of the hard work setting the rules, vetting the candidates is already done.

"The leadership organizing committee has done the heavy lifting," Roberts said. "So I think whoever comes in has a very strong foundation."