U.S. House of Representatives votes to move America to permanent daylight savings time. Will Canada follow suit?

The U.S. House of Representatives voted on Tuesday to end the annual practice of springing forward to daylight saving time and falling back to standard time. Instead, the Sunshine Protection Act aims to place most of the U.S. permanently on daylight saving time, except for the few parts of the country already on year-round standard time.

The change would in effect extend winter sunsets and delay sunrises by about an hour. However, several U.S. lawmakers have predicted the bill will ultimately fail to pass the Republican-controlled Senate, despite the fact President Donald Trump has long called for permanent daylight saving time.

The first time Congress enacted year-round daylight saving time, in the 1970s , it backfired. The change became unpopular quickly, especially among parents worried about their children waiting in the morning darkness for school buses. It was repealed in less than a year.

On the other hand, only 12 per cent of Americans today are in favour of the current system, according to a 2025 AP-NORC poll . Another 47 per cent oppose it. But there’s little consensus about what to adopt instead.

Where does Canada stand on the annual time changes?

Most Canadians change their clocks twice a year , moving them forward one hour on the second Sunday in March and back one hour on the first Sunday in November. That March–November schedule has been in place since 2007.

What is the history of regulating time in Canada?

Originally, DST was implemented in Canada during the First and Second World Wars to preserve energy and increase productivity, especially on farms. It was intended to give Canadians another usable hour of daylight in the evening during the spring and summer months.

Between 1988 and 2006, Canada adopted the American schedule, moving ahead on the first Sunday in April and back on the last Sunday of October. That shifted in 2007 to March and November.

What do individual provinces do?

Provincial, territorial and municipal governments took over the regulation of time zones and daylight savings time in 1987 .

Yukon stopped changing clocks in 2020 and stays on permanent daylight time.

In March 2026, British Columbia announced the adoption of year‑round daylight saving time. The March 8 clock change was declared the last seasonal change for most of B.C.

“This decision isn’t just about clocks,” said B.C. Premier David Eby at the time. “It’s about making life easier for families, reducing disruptions for businesses and supporting a stable, thriving economy. I am hopeful that our American neighbours will soon join us in ending disruptive time changes.”

Since B.C. made the switch, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has said her government is again looking into a possible change to DST. Albertans voted on a DST-related referendum question in 2021. Just over 50 per cent voted against a permanent change to daylight saving time.

Most of Saskatchewan stays on Central Standard Time year‑round. A few smaller communities — such as Creston, B.C. and certain parts of Nunavut— also stay on standard time year‑round.

Other than B.C., Saskatchewan and Yukon, the rest of the country continues with the March–November pattern. Ontario passed a bill in 2022 to end the twice annual time changes, but that will only occur if Quebec and New York State make that change.

What do health experts say about the time change debate?

Experts in sleep have been critical of daylight saving time . They argue that changing our clocks twice a year disrupts our circadian rhythms. And they point to short‑term health risks around the forward spring. For example, they note studies show the shift in spring is linked to higher rates of heart attacks, strokes, as well as serious traffic accidents. They also link DST and the spring transition to increased mood problems, depressive symptoms, slowed metabolism with weight gain, and increased workplace injuries.

They contend that our biological clocks work best when aligned with the sun. In short, under standard time, the sun’s noon is closer to noon on our clocks, so permanent standard time keeps morning light and the timing of our sleep more in sync.

What about other parts of the world?

Several locations in the Atlantic region also start DST on March 8, 2026, including Cuba, Bermuda, the Bahamas, Saint Pierre and Miquelon and Thule Air Base in Greenland.

In Europe , DST runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October, 21 or 28 days fewer than in the U.S. and Canada, depending on how the Sundays fall in a calendar year. In 2026, European DST started on March 29, three weeks later than in Canada.

Where did all this begin?

Germany and Austria were among the first countries to adopt DST, back in 1916. Though, a Canadian city, Port Arthur, Ont., now part of Thunder Bay did it even earlier, on July 1, 1908.

• Daylight saving time ends Sunday. Why B.C. is right to ditch the clock change
• Daylight saving time ends Sunday: Why the clocks fall back one hour

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