Two more key officials depart Green party amid staffing upheaval as election looms

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OTTAWA â€" A pair of top officials are departing the Greens as financial strain and internal strife continue to take a toll on the party ahead of a likely election this year.

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Two senior sources, who were not authorized to speak publicly about payroll matters, tell The Canadian Press that leader Annamie Paul’s interim chief of staff Phil Spidle was laid off by party brass last week, the latest casualty in cuts that have halved the Green staff.

Spidle, who headed Paul’s leadership campaign last year and worked with the Greens for the past two decades, was on paid leave throughout the summer while he engaged in drawn-out negotiations for a contract to become national campaign director.

The talks were with Doug Tingey, who oversaw the party purse strings until the last couple days, when he abruptly stepped down â€" the second major departure in less than a week.

Tingey, who was re-elected to a two-year term last month as president of the Green Party of Canada Fund, said in an interview Monday it was “an appropriate time” to resign.

He has said the Greens’ financial situation is not sustainable, with party executives opting to withhold $250,000 in funding earmarked for Paul’s riding campaign in Toronto Centre, according to four party sources.

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