The Green party could be roughly 100 candidates short of a full slate in this month's federal election, the latest blow to leader Annamie Paul's attempts to reshape the party.

The candidate tally currently stands at about 240, but may notch up slightly as disputes with Elections Canada over signature disqualifications are settled, according to three senior party sources who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.

"We expect that we are going to fall short of a full slate of candidates. By how much we're still determining," Paul told reporters Wednesday.

The Greens had banked on furnishing a full roster of 338 candidates, preparing a strategy last December to make that goal a reality.

Paul was devastated to learn last week that the Green slate would remain partly empty, despite having a willing individual for every riding, the sources said.

They said a lack of resources from party executives to send staff across the country to collect local nomination signatures kneecapped the effort, though the COVID-19 pandemic also played a role.

"We had enough candidates step forward for a full slate, and then we ran into challenges in terms of collecting signatures in all the ridings, particularly remote ridings or ridings where we're dependent upon seniors who volunteer with us who are very nervous in provinces like Alberta and out west where COVID numbers are spiking." Paul said.

"It's no secret that we've had our own distractions internally which certainly made it more difficult for us to get to that full slate."

Paul, who staved off an ouster attempt by party brass over the summer, is running in the Liberal stronghold of Toronto Centre, where she is spending the entire campaign after having lost twice in the riding in the past two years.

More than four in five Ontario ridings will include a would-be Green MP, but Quebec will see barely 50 nominees run for the province's 78 seats, sources said.

Under financial strain, the party saw layoffs in the past few months that slashed the Greens' mobilizing team and organizational capacity, though several axed staff members have come back on board since the election was called for Sept. 20.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2021.