The Quebec government says it plans to end switch between daylight and standard time

MONTREAL — Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says his government intends to abolish the switch between daylight and standard time.

He says the province hasn’t yet decided whether to keep daylight time or standard time year-round, but wrote on social media on Wednesday that Quebecers will most likely set their clocks back one hour for the final time this weekend.

He said studies have found the time change is counterproductive to health and is hard for children to adjust to.

St-Pierre Plamondon said he plans to consult with experts during a series of hearings in the coming months before making a final decision on whether to stay on permanent summer or winter time. He said there will be a short parliamentary commission on the topic.

“Dear parents who have to spend several weeks managing your children’s reaction to this time change, this is likely the last year we’ll be imposing such unnecessary constraints on ourselves. We invite the public to follow our work closely,” he wrote on social media.

The previous Coalition Avenir Québec held an online consultation in 2024 that found 91 per cent of the approximately 214,000 respondents said they wanted to end the time change, and 72 per cent wanted to keep daylight time year-round.

But then-justice minister Simon Jolin-Barrette noted that the consultation had highlighted several issues, including the opinion of sleep experts and alignment with neighbouring jurisdictions.

He said in 2025 that further deliberation and consultation were necessary.

Justice Minister Marie-Claude Sarrazin said the government would follow all the necessary steps to make the change run smoothly.

“We wanted to announce our intentions at the start of the time change,” she said. “For the rest, we’ll prepare our work plans and we’ll consult with people so that things are done in an orderly way, including with our neighbours.”

St-Pierre Plamondon’s minority government could have the support of at least one opposition party to help pass any necessary legislation. Conservative Leader Éric Duhaime said he agreed with stopping the time change, but stressed the importance of collaborating with Ontario.

“I lived in the west when Saskatchewan decided to end the time change and the neighbouring provinces didn’t, and it caused all sorts of problems,” he said Wednesday in Quebec City.

“You know that the economies of Quebec and Ontario are interconnected.”

By keeping daylight time year-round, Quebecers would enjoy a later sunset during the winter. But this would mean the sun would rise an hour later during the short winter days, which could have negative consequences, according to several experts.

The analysis published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal a few weeks ago examined multiple studies and concluded that health evidence favours moving to permanent standard time — not daylight time — in part because it better aligns with the body’s rhythm.

If Quebec were to move forward with abolishing the time change, it would follow in the footsteps of several Canadian provinces. Those include British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba, which ended the practice this year.

These three provinces have chosen to keep daylight time year-round, as has the Northwest Territories.

In Ontario, certain regions in the northwestern part of the province will also maintain daylight time year-round to align with Manitoba.

In 2020, Ontario passed a law to make daylight time permanent, but it has not yet taken effect. The province noted that coordination with its neighbours, such as Quebec and New York, was essential.

Saskatchewan has not changed its time since 1966, while the Yukon ended the practice in 2020.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 28, 2026.

Mathieu Paquette, The Canadian Press