As winter slowly approaches, daylight hours are already growing shorter, and soon, Canadians will find themselves facing even longer nights for the next four months.<\/p>\n
Daylight saving time<\/a> this year will come to an end on Nov. 2, so consider setting an alert so you don\u2019t forget to adjust your clock back one hour when the time comes.<\/p>\n Canadians in most time zones can \u201cfall back\u201d on Nov. 1 before they head to bed, as the clocks roll back in the early morning hours of Nov. 2 while most people are sleeping.<\/p>\n The Yukon, most of Saskatchewan and some parts of British Columbia and Quebec stay on standard time.<\/p>\n These days, most digital and Wi-Fi-connected devices automatically adjust, but it\u2019s always a good idea to double-check your clocks on Nov. 2. That way, you can avoid the awkwardness of showing up to work a whole hour early on Monday.<\/p>\n Daylight saving time has been part of life in most of Canada for over a century, but momentum is building to put an end to the practice.<\/p>\n \u201cThe acute effect is the stroke and heart attack. But the chronic effect of having to change clocks twice a year is that we see an increased risk in cancer, obesity, overall cardiovascular disease and diabetes,\u201d Dr. Joanna Fong-Isariyawongse, neurology professor at the University of Pittsburgh, told Global National.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Liberal MP Marie-France Lalonde<\/a> is leading the charge to stop the biannual time switch with a private member\u2019s bill, and is calling for Canada to adopt a single, permanent time by opting out of daylight saving time altogether.<\/p>\n \u201cMy will seek to ask the federal government to hold a pan-Canadian conference alongside their provincial and territorial counterparts, as well as our Indigenous partners, to formalize an agreement to end this practice and establish one set time in Canada,\u201d Lalonde told Parliament on Oct. 1.<\/p>\n Lalonde noted that the decision doesn\u2019t rest solely with the federal government.<\/p>\n \u201cTime regulation is a provincial and territorial jurisdiction, but what we can do, and we must do, is bring all jurisdictions to the table. A united front is the only way to ensure meaningful, nationwide change. I believe Canada can be a leader on this matter and set the precedent to allow others to follow our lead,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n The changing of clocks has been a topic of debate in Canada for many years, with politicians in Alberta, B.C. and Ontario wanting to scrap the century-old practice.<\/p>\n Ontario previously tabled and unanimously passed a private member\u2019s bill called the Time Amendment Act in 2020<\/a>. It was waiting for New York and Quebec to get on board, as the areas share trade.<\/p>\n The B.C. legislature\u00a0passed similar legislation<\/a>\u00a0in 2019, but the process has been delayed, as American states in the same time zone wait for California to pull the trigger.<\/p>\n B.C. Premier David Eby said in March<\/a> he\u2019d be open to moving ahead with ending the time change independently, as provinces grow more economically self-reliant.<\/p>\n \u201cMy usual response to this is that our biggest trading partner and group of people that we want to stay in sync with has not yet changed their clocks,\u201d Eby said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut yeah, it\u2019s open to the new world that we\u2019re in that we stand on our own two feet as a province in relation to everything, including time zones,\u201d he said with a chuckle, before adding \u201cI\u2019ll ponder that one.\u201d<\/p>\n Alberta had a\u00a0referendum<\/a>\u00a0on the idea in 2021, and just over half of those who voted wanted to keep daylight saving time.<\/p>\n Daylight saving time was first proposed<\/a>\u00a0in 1895 by New Zealand entomologist George Hudson. He proposed the change because it would allow him more daylight hours to find and inspect insects.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Studies have shown negative impacts<\/a> from the yearly switch. A 2019 report published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine<\/a> analyzed seven studies that included more than 100,000 participants. It found that there was an increased risk of heart attack in the weeks following the spring and fall daylight saving time transitions.<\/p>\n