On the night of Sunday March 9, Quebec will switch to Daylight Saving Time until next autumn. While we'll lose an hour of sleep, we'll gain an hour of sunshine a day. 

Since 2006, Daylight Saving Time has been in effect from the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November. In Quebec, this custom benefits those who like an extra hour of sunshine in the evening. 

In recent years, Canadian provinces have been questioning the traditional use of the time change and its implications for general health.

Indeed, scientists have discovered that the time change can affect the sleep cycle. For more vulnerable people, this change can have more harmful effects, including attention and appetite disorders, reduced work capacity and increased depression. 

The Yukon Territory ceased this practice in 2020. It is the second province in Canada, along with Saskatchewan, to reject time change. 

A brief history of time change

Originally, the aim was to shift schedules to save energy. In fact, taking advantage of natural light as late as possible enabled workers to finish their shifts later.

Germany was the first country to adopt this idea, in 1916, proposed by American physicist Benjamin Franklin in 1784.

In 1918, Canada followed in the Nordic European country's footsteps, introducing its first law to implement the cycle.