Daylight time: As U.S. moves to abolish the switch, where does Canada stand?

This fall will see less daylight for Albertans in the morning but more sunshine into the afternoon as the province scraps daylight saving.

As the U.S. moves towards permanent daylight time, several provinces in Canada may be considering a similar switch.

The U.S. House voted Tuesday on a measure to enact year-round daylight time across the country, following in the footsteps of 19 states that have begun their own legislation to switch to the same.

With a majority vote of 308 to 117 in favour of the bill, it will now head to the U.S. Senate for approval and then to the U.S. president for his signature.

Here’s a quick look at some of the similar movements in Canada as they stand today:

Regions that made the switch

Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Yukon are the only three regions that no longer observe the bi-annual switch.

Saskatchewan was the first region to make the change in 1966 with Yukon following suit in 2020. Both regions reverted to observing time in their respective time zones.

B.C. passed legislation in 2019 but didn’t make the change until seven years later, in March 2026. The province opted to observe permanent daylight saving time, with the exceptions of some eastern and northeastern regions.

The provinces and territory considering a switch

In April, Alberta tabled legislation to move to permanent daylight time. The Northwest Territories committed to following Alberta’s lead to ditch the clock changes, as the two jurisdictions share a time zone.

The Saskatchewan government has said it is closely following Alberta’s move and and could amend its legislation accordingly.

In 2020, the Ontario government passed legislation to end the twice-yearly changing of clocks and make daylight time permanent, with the caveat that Quebec and New York agree to do the same.

However, Quebec has not announced plans to change anytime soon, despite overwhelming response to a public consultation in 2024 that saw 91 per cent of respondents say they wanted to abolish the time change entirely.

The premier of Nova Scotia told reporters in April that he’d be open to making a change if the other Atlantic provinces were on board.

Arguments for ending the time change

While gaining an hour of sleep in November has generally been welcomed by many, the benefits may end there, according to some researchers.

Studies have shown that the bi-annual clock switches mess with people’s sleep schedules, which in turn could cause chronic sleep deprivation and increased levels of stress hormones.

A 2025 study linked the time switch to increased risk of obesity and stroke. The same study also stated that losing an hour each March has already been linked to increased heart attacks and fatal traffic accidents.

The passing of the U.S. bill could make it much easier for Canadian businesses who have to operate on two clocks for part of the year and give the go-ahead to provinces like Ontario waiting to make the switch themselves.

In B.C., legislation to permanently stay on daylight time passed in 2019, but then-premier John Horgan said the change would depend on states south of the border doing the same. Current Premier David Eby agreed with Horgan in 2023 and said that the province’s close relationship with the U.S. produces legitimate business concerns if the province moves to a different time zone. Despite this argument, the province opted this spring to stay in permanent daylight time, also known as daylight saving time.