The slogan describes the party's aim to encourage people to reduce their consumption, to be more environmentally and socially conscious, and to focus on real values.
Instead of consuming, people are encouraged to spend time on family, friends, community engagement, art and creative endeavours, spiritual exploration, and athletic activities.
[1] Their belief was that reducing the work week from five days to four would result in a lower unemployment rate, more time for family and leisure activities, and less unnecessary consumerism, at the cost of slightly less pay for workers.
[2] Other policy points included controls on rents and property costs, higher taxes on luxury goods, the promotion of arts, education, sports and research, prohibiting unpaid overtime work, and changing to the payroll tax system to encourage hiring additional workers.
In 2005, the party stated its goal was to "champion the economic, environmental and social advantages of a reduced work week".
The 34-year-old permanent resident of Canada, from Johannesburg, South Africa,[4] was living in Vancouver working as a computer programmer, and had already founded the World Naked Bike Ride[5] and organized events for the non-profit group Artists Against War.
He witnessed people suffering work-related stress as they work to purchase unnecessary products while neglecting their families, friends and their social life.
Schmidt would make advocacy of a reduced work week and championing its economic, environmental and social advantages the premise of the new political party.
Events included masquerade parties,[7] handing out speeding tickets to fast-walking pedestrians,[8] distributing calendars which highlight the three-day weekend, setting up an impromptu living room on the corner of Pender and Burrard Street,[8] and attempting a nap-in at the BC Parliament Buildings (but was quickly stopped by police).
The party only fielded two candidates in the 2009 provincial election: Keston Broughton in Kamloops-North Thompson and Chris Telford in Vancouver-Hastings.