Leader of the Parti Quebecois (PQ) Paul St-Pierre Plamondon makes a speech after winning the election to become the next premier of Quebec, in Montreal on Oct. 5, 2026. Andrej Ivanov/AFP via Getty Images
Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon says the upcoming fall clock change will “very likely” be the final one for the province.
St-Pierre Plamondon wrote in an Oct. 28 social media post that this weekend will likely mark the last occasion Quebecers adjust their clocks backward by an hour.
“Dear parents who will have several weeks to manage their children’s reactions to this time change, this is probably the last year we impose such unnecessary constraints on ourselves,” he wrote in French.
St-Pierre Plamondon said the province is still deliberating on whether to maintain daylight time or standard time throughout the entire year. He said he plans to consult with experts through a series of upcoming hearings before deciding. The newly elected premier and Parti Québécois leader added that there will be a short parliamentary commission on the topic.
The previous Coalition Avenir Québec government conducted a digital survey in 2024 that found 91 percent of the approximately 214,000 participants voted to eliminate the biannual time shift. Seventy-two percent of those polled said they would prefer daylight saving time year-round and 28 percent voted for standard time.
Then-justice minister Simon Jolin-Barrette said in 2025 the consultation process brought several challenges to light, including alignment with neighbouring jurisdictions like Ontario and New York. He said further deliberation and consultation were necessary.
St-Pierre Plamondon said the Parti Québécois has challenged the biannual time changes on several occasions, and cited research demonstrating that the practice undermines public health and creates adjustment difficulties for children.
Adopting permanent daylight saving time would push sunsets later throughout winter months. The trade-off is that sunrise would be pushed back an hour during winter’s shortest days.
Quebec’s potential move to discontinue the time change would align with the decisions made by several other Canadian provinces. British Columbia, Alberta, and Manitoba have already made the leap, phasing out the practice this year in favour of permanent daylight saving time.
The Northwest Territories is also implementing permanent daylight time after 87 percent of its residents voted to end clock changes.
Other provinces have also considered ending the practice.
The Ontario legislature unanimously passed the Time Amendment Act in November 2020 to implement permanent daylight saving time, however, it was stipulated that it would only take effect if neighbouring jurisdictions, particularly Quebec and New York State, consented to it.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford indicated in March 2022 that Ontario would “eventually” eliminate the biannual time change but no firm date was given.
Saskatchewan stopped switching to daylight saving time in 1966 and remains on Central Standard Time year-round. Yukon made the change in 2020 and now operates on “Yukon Standard Time” year-round, which aligns with the time standard used in Saskatchewan.