Canadian MP Proposes Bill to Abolish Daylight Saving Time

A new Private Member’s Bill introduced by Orléans Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde aims to eliminate the practice of daylight saving time in Canada. During a press conference on October 2, 2023, Lalonde announced her intention to establish a single, consistent time across the country, stating, “Canadians will often engage in conversation or debates about why it is we continue to change our clocks back and forward. Today, I’m here to say the time has come to address time change.”

Lalonde made her announcement alongside members of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, after months of consultation regarding the implications of biannual time changes. She described the current practice as “outdated” and highlighted its negative effects on small businesses, agriculture, and public safety. “We know that there are more road accidents, including pedestrians getting hit by cars, that happen when the time changes,” she explained, emphasizing the broader societal impacts.

The proposed bill aims to address various concerns associated with daylight saving time, including its effects on health and safety. According to a report by the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, the time changes disrupt the body’s biological clock, leading to a range of health issues. “The time change creates a mismatch between the biological clock, the schedule dictated by social constraints, and the light-dark cycle,” the report states. This misalignment has been linked to increased heart rates, elevated blood pressure, and a rise in inflammatory responses.

Lalonde cited alarming statistics from the consortium, noting there is an 11 to 15 percent increase in miscarriages during the spring transition to daylight saving time. She indicated that her bill will call for a pan-Canadian conference involving federal, provincial, territorial, and Indigenous partners to formalize an agreement to end the time changes.

Rébecca Robillard, a member of the Canadian Sleep Research Consortium, expressed enthusiasm for the scientific community’s readiness to share research on the effects of time changes. She suggested that maintaining permanent standard time would better align with the natural cycle of the sun.

As daylight saving time is set to end next month, Canada operates across six time zones: Pacific, Mountain, Central, Eastern, Atlantic, and Newfoundland, which is 30 minutes behind Atlantic time. Notably, some regions in Canada, including most of Saskatchewan, parts of Quebec and British Columbia, all of Yukon, and Nunavut’s Southampton Island, have already opted out of the biannual clock changes.

The movement to abolish daylight saving time has garnered support from Canadians since a petition began circulating in 2019. Daylight saving time was first implemented in 1908 in Thunder Bay, then known as Port Arthur, making it the first municipality in the world to adopt the practice.

The proposal by Lalonde reflects a growing sentiment among Canadians who question the necessity of adjusting clocks twice a year and seek a more stable and consistent timekeeping method. Daily Hive has reached out to Lalonde’s office for further comments regarding the proposed bill.