With 27 days to go in the Federal election campaign and the party riding as high in the polls nationally as it ever has, it seems to be a very odd for the Greens to launch a law suit against former members of its leadership but that is what it appears to have done with its time off school this holiday season according to the Globe and Mail this morning:

The Green Party is demanding retractions from a former member of its governing council and a former national organizer who have alleged that Leader Jim Harris and other officials violated federal elections law. Notices of pending lawsuits were sent last week to Gretchen Schwarz, a former member of the Greens' governing council who ran for the New Democratic Party in last year's federal election, and Matthew Pollesel, who left as a party official in the summer of 2004. "We will proceed if they don't retract," Green Party spokesman Dermod Travis said yesterday.

Given that these are just notices on an intention to sue at a later date it is unlikely that the issue could be resolved one way or another through the law during the campaign. So one would expect there is a political goal or at least consideration in taking this step. I cannot think of one but, as I like to say, I am wrong about many things and certainly inexperienced in such matters. It is a very interesting turn of events, however, for me a swing voter.