The hits just keep on coming

It looks like the Greens' campaign may test the limits of the idea that any publicity is good publicity, as yet another complaint from a formerly-prominent member has gone public:

A second complaint to Elections Canada of alleged electoral-law violations by Green Party officials has been made public by a former party member, even as the party threatens legal action against the initiator of a complaint reported last week.

B.C. activist Dana Miller, who served in the party's shadow cabinet with responsibility for human rights issues, provided The Canadian Press with a copy of her April 15 complaint, alleging violations of federal law and the party's own constitution.

Miller had hoped to run for the party in the riding of Delta Richmond-East. She said in an interview she had been expelled from the party, without due process, after filing the complaint.

The article also cites several more sources for past complaints, featuring an alleged lifetime ban based on one derogatory comment about party leadership (would the Liberals have had more than half a dozen members left if they imposed that policy during the Chretien/Martin transition?), as well as more apparent concerns about the party's financial oversight.

I'll accept the point of the Green official cited in the article that most groups have at least some internal dissent. But it can't be a good sign for the Greens that the dissent seems to be have far more staying power than its positive contributions to the campaign.