In Quebec, we still adjust the time twice a year (like most of the world), moving from daylight saving time to standard time each fall. But when exactly will it happen this year? And is the province ever going to get rid of this routine for good?
When is the 2025 fall time change?
This year, daylight saving time will officially end at 2 a.m. on Sunday, November 2, when the clocks turn back one hour. That means we’ll return to standard time (UTC -5) and technically “gain” an hour.
Plus, if you’re out late on Saturday night, your evening just got an extra hour longer. For everyone else, that means an extra hour of rest before Monday rolls around.
The next time change will happen on Sunday, March 8, 2026, when we switch back to daylight saving time.
Could Quebec ever stop changing the clocks?
It’s a question that comes up almost every year. In fall 2020, Ontario passed a bill to end the practice, but it would only take effect if Quebec and New York State agreed to do the same, and neither has moved forward yet.
“The Quebec government is always open to analyzing this issue,” Élisabeth Gosselin, spokesperson for Quebec’s minister of justice, told MTL Blog in November 2022.
Meanwhile, Quebec’s Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette launched a public consultation on the issue in October 2024. According to survey results published by La Presse, about 91% of the 214,000 respondents said they wanted to stop changing the clocks, and nearly three-quarters said they’d prefer to stay on daylight saving time permanently.
The province has said it’s still analyzing the consultation results and the public submissions before making a final decision.
Which provinces still change the time?
Most of Canada still moves the clocks twice a year, though there are a few exceptions:
- British Columbia adopted a bill in 2019 to keep daylight time year-round, but only some regions have implemented it.
- Yukon and Saskatchewan no longer change their clocks at all.
- Ontario still adjusts the time every spring and fall, though the law to end it remains on standby until neighbouring regions join in.
So for now, Quebecers can look forward to an extra hour of sleep and darker evenings starting in November.
This story was inspired by the article “Changement d’heure au Québec : Voici quand tu gagneras une heure de sommeil cet automne,” which was originally published on Narcity Quebec
