ORILLIA – Members of the local federal opposition parties are going national with a joint effort to unseat the Conservative government and bring about electoral reform.

“We’re not talking about a merger. We’re not talking about coalitions. We’re talking about one-time co-operation and the implementation of some kind of proportional representation so that we’re never in this situation again,” said Gord Ball, a member of the Simcoe North Federal Green Party Association executive.

Ball was also the chair of the riding’s unofficial tri-party group that has met over the past year to discuss opportunities for collaboration in the next federal election.

The group, which has kept the focus of its outreach fairly close to home until now, will be hosting a three-day conference called Co-operate for Canada, open to members and unaligned voters from coast to coast, Sept. 27 to 29 at Geneva Park in Ramara Township.

“The goal of the conference is to come up with some realistic strategies that will work in ridings across Canada,” Ball said, “particularly those ridings where the seats are held by members of Parliament who were elected by less than a majority of the voters.”

As opposed to looking at local members of the Green party and NDP as adversaries, Steve Clarke, who ran as the Liberal candidate in Simcoe North in the 2008 and 2011 elections, sees them as partners.

The first-past-the-post system is designed for two parties, said Clarke, a member of the tri-party group.

“Certainly, on the federal scene, now we have more,” he said.

The Stephen Harper government has “100% of the power with only 39% of popular support” because the vote is being split, said Ball, who wants to see a system put in place that better reflects the will of the electorate.

While there are different models of proportional representation, Clarke is an advocate of instant-runoff balloting, a ranking system of sorts where nobody wins unless they have 50% of the vote.

Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton, who did have 50% of the vote in the last election, sees the first-past-the-post system as one that promotes stability.

“To be successful electorally, you’ve got to reach beyond your ideological base because people won’t support your party otherwise,” he said.

Although Stanton is not opposed to looking at other options, he sees the push for collaboration among opposition members as a “shortcut to success.”

It’s just another avenue of opposing the existing government, he said.

While there’s support for co-operation at the federal level from the Green party, the Liberals and NDP have yet to get onboard.

“We’re hoping that the ground will shift,” said Ball, who’s hoping political collaboration at the grassroots level encourages leaders of the other opposition parties to “rethink” their stance.

Tri-party co-operation is not a long-term goal, said Ball.

There’d really be no need for it after electoral reform, he added.

The Co-operate for Canada conference is not sponsored by the parties or their local riding associations.

The cost of participating is $350 and includes meals and lodging. After June 30, the fee will increase to $375.

For more information or to sign up, visit cooperate4.ca.