Work Less Party of British Columbia

The party's main ideals revolved around the idea of legislating a 32-hour, or four-day work week.{{cite news |newspaper=Cowichan News Leader |location=Duncan, British Columbia |title= Work Less - it's a party |date= January 12, 2005 |page=7}} 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.{{cite news |newspaper=Times Colonist |location=Victoria, British Columbia |title= Working less, spending nothing |date= December 14, 2004 |page=A12}} 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".{{cite news |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |title= Greens await breakthrough: Work Less Party wants everyone to relax |last=Bohn |first=Glenn |date= April 6, 2005 |page=B2}}

The Work Less Party of British Columbia was founded by Conrad Schmidt on July 7, 2003. The 34-year-old permanent resident of Canada, from Johannesburg, South Africa,{{cite news |url= https://www.straight.com/article-491596/vancouver/work-less-party-founder-conrad-schmidt-explains-degrowth-vancouver-name-change |accessdate= December 26, 2011 |newspaper= The Georgia Straight |title= Work Less Party founder Conrad Schmidt explains De-Growth Vancouver name change |date= October 18, 2011 |first= Matthew |last= Burrows |archive-date= December 27, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111227132222/http://www.straight.com/article-491596/vancouver/work-less-party-founder-conrad-schmidt-explains-degrowth-vancouver-name-change |url-status= live }} was living in Vancouver working as a computer programmer, and had already founded the World Naked Bike Ride{{cite news |newspaper=The Hamilton Spectator |location=Hamilton, Ontario |title= Biking in the buff takes off globally |date= June 11, 2004 |first= Natalie |last=Alcoba |page=5}} and organized events for the non-profit group Artists Against War.{{cite news |newspaper=WestEnder |location=Vancouver |title= Party preaches less work, more mindfulness |date= August 19, 2004 |page=12}} He was motivated to start a political party after he linked rampant consumerism's requirement for easy access to resources which he saw as creating wars, like the Iraq War, and causing environmental destruction. He witnessed people suffering work-related stress as they work to purchase unnecessary products while neglecting their families, friends and their social life. Another motivating factor was witnessing, at his place of employment, out-sourcing of work to China where, he was told, they would work six or seven days each week. Schmidt would make advocacy of a reduced work week and championing its economic, environmental and social advantages the premise of the new political party.

The party held fundraisers and staged publicity stunts to communicate their ideas and get media attention. Events included masquerade parties,{{cite news |newspaper=WestEnder |location=Vancouver |title= Observer |date= May 26, 2005 |page=7}} handing out speeding tickets to fast-walking pedestrians,{{cite news |newspaper=The Globe and Mail |last=MacLennan |first=Kate |title= What's your hurry? |date= May 27, 2005 |page=R6}} distributing calendars which highlight the three-day weekend, setting up an impromptu living room on the corner of Pender and Burrard Street, and attempting a nap-in at the BC Parliament Buildings (but was quickly stopped by police). As the 2005 provincial election approached, the party recruited 11 candidates, including author Bruce O'Hara in Comox Valley, 48-year-old Gordon Scott in Surrey-Newton{{cite news |newspaper=The Leader |location=Surrey, British Columbia |title= Workers of the world: relax |date= May 11, 2005 |page=21}} and The Georgia Straight-endorsed{{cite news |newspaper=Chilliwack Times |location=Chilliwack, British Columbia |title= Why run if you won't speak up? |date= May 13, 2005 |page=8}} Ben West in West Vancouver-Capilano. The candidates did not win a seat in the Legislative Assembly with none finishing higher than fifth place in their riding. The BC Student Vote, in which people too young to legally vote select their preferred candidate, selected one Work Less Party candidate: Ben West in West Vancouver-Capilano.{{cite news |newspaper=Alberni Valley Times |location=Port Alberni, British Columbia |title= Student voters chose NDP |date= May 19, 2005 |page=1}}

Immediately following the 2005 provincial election, Schmidt registered the party with the City of Vancouver and the District of Saanich{{cite news |newspaper=Saanich News |location=Saanich, British Columbia |title= Saanich council: Question & Answer |date= November 16, 2005 |page=7}} to sponsor candidates in the November 2005 municipal elections. In the Vancouver election, Ben West ran for mayor,{{cite news |newspaper=Vancouver Courier |title= Fringe parties range from conservative to far out |date= October 26, 2005 |page=13 |last=O'Connor |first=Naoibh}} coming in fourth with 1,907 votes (1.5% of the popular vote). In Saanich, Katrina Herriot ran for a council seat but lost, receiving 1,204 votes.{{cite news |newspaper=The Vancouver Sun |title= Voting Results: IV: The rest of British Columbia |date= November 20, 2005 |page=10}}

Schmidt registered a federal version of the party, called Work Less Party, with Elections Canada in October 2007 so it could participate in the next federal election. They recruited one candidate: author and environmental activist Betty Krawczyk who contested the Vancouver East riding. She received 423 votes (1% of the popular vote) in the October 2008 federal election, losing to Libby Davies of the New Democratic Party. The federal party deregistered in July 2010, before the next federal election.

In the November 2008 Vancouver municipal election, the party sponsored one candidate for mayor, four for council and one for the Parks Board.{{cite news |newspaper=The Province |location=Vancouver |title= Your Vancouver candidates; 86 would-be politicians are on city ballot |date= October 28, 2008 |page=9}} Betty Krawczyk ran for the mayoral position{{cite news |newspaper=Vancouver Courier |title= Betty's out of jail and looking to serve three years as mayor; Unbowed 79-year-old wants Sam's job |date= October 5, 2007 |page=13 |last=Rossi |first=Cheryl}} and came in third, receiving 1,346 votes (1.1%). None of the council candidates, which included Paralympian Ian Gregson, were elected but ranged in voting between 11,237 and 7,435 votes. The lone parks board candidate was also not elected even though he received 10,919 votes.

The party only fielded two candidates in the 2009 provincial election: Keston Broughton in Kamloops-North Thompson and Chris Telford in Vancouver-Hastings. The party intended to nominate co-candidate in Kamloops-North Thompson and Kamloops-South Thompson with the intent to have them job-share but Elections BC only allowed one name from each party be on the ballot and the candidates in the Kamloops-South Thompson dropped out.{{cite news |newspaper=Kamloops Daily News |title= Work Less candidates must now work more |date= April 21, 2009 |location= Kamloops, British Columbia |page=5}}{{cite news |newspaper=North Thompson Journal |title= Candidate for Work Less Party |date= May 4, 2009 |location= Barriere, British Columbia |page=3}} Neither Broughton or Telford were elected, coming in fifth and fourth in their respective ridings.

Schmidt and several of the 2008 council candidates from the Work Less Party registered with the City of Vancouver to participate in the 2011 Vancouver municipal election as a party called De-Growth Vancouver.{{cite news |url= https://thetyee.ca/News/2011/12/12/Degrowth-Party/ |accessdate= December 27, 2011 |newspaper= The Tyee |title= Do Less with Less, and Love It |date= December 12, 2011 |first= Justin |last= Ritchie |archive-date= December 15, 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20111215042129/http://thetyee.ca/News/2011/12/12/Degrowth-Party/ |url-status= live }} They fielded three candidates for council, who received between 8,219 (5.68%) and 4,690 (3.24%) votes, none being elected.

In the 2005 provincial election, the party nominated candidates in 11 ridings: nine in the Metro Vancouver ridings and two on Vancouver Island. The candidates received between a low of 83 votes (in Comox Valley) and a high of 247 votes (in Vancouver-Hastings), though none were elected. The party totaled 1,642 votes (0.09%) making them the seventh place party in terms of popular votes.{{cite web |title=Statement of Votes: 38th Provincial General Election |publisher=Elections BC |date=2005 |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2005GEResults/SOV-GEcomplete.pdf |accessdate=December 26, 2011 |pages=9, 26–36 |archive-date=August 8, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110808140948/http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2005GEResults/SOV-GEcomplete.pdf |url-status=live }}

In the 2009 provincial election, the party nominated candidates only two candidates: Chris Telford in Vancouver-Hastings and Keston Broughton in Kamloops-North Thompson. Neither were elected as each came in fifth place in their ridings.{{cite web |title=Statement of Votes: 39th Provincial General Election |publisher=Elections BC |date=2009 |url=http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2009GE/2009-GE-SOV.pdf |accessdate=December 26, 2011 |pages=15, 204–207, 529–532 |archive-date=November 30, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121130072715/http://www.elections.bc.ca/docs/rpt/2009GE/2009-GE-SOV.pdf |url-status=live }} The party again ran two candidates in the 2013 provincial election but de-registered with Elections BC just prior to the 2017 provincial election.{{Cite web|url=https://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/published/100130316.pdf|title=Deregistration Financial Report|last=|first=|date=|website=Elections BC|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220003327/https://contributions.electionsbc.gov.bc.ca/pcs/published/100130316.pdf|archive-date=December 20, 2019|access-date=December 19, 2019|url-status=live}}

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• List of British Columbia political parties
• Reduction of hours of work

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.worklessparty.org/ Work Less Party website]

{{British Columbia provincial political parties}}

Category:Provincial political parties in British Columbia

Category:Organizations based in Vancouver

Category:2003 establishments in British Columbia

Category:Political parties established in 2003