A Parti Québécois pledge to abolish Quebec’s clock changes starting next year could put Ottawa and Gatineau on different times during daylight saving if Ontario doesn’t match the move.
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Quebec’s newly elected Parti Québécois says this fall is expected to be the last time Quebecers switch between daylight and standard time as the party plans to introduce legislation to scrap the time changes across the province.
On Wednesday, the PQ announced its plan to table a bill in the coming months to abolish the changes, citing concerns about health impacts.
In a social media post, Quebec Premier Paul St-Pierre Plamondon wrote in French, “To all the parents who will be dealing with their children's reactions this time change in the several weeks to come: this is probably the last year we'll be imposing such unnecessary constraints on ourselves.”
The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, which oversees the federal public service, said it is aware of potential time changes in “certain jurisdictions,” adding that “as no legislation has been introduced and no changes have been implemented, it would be premature to speculate on potential impacts or any measures that may be required.”
With no announced similar provincewide plan in Ontario, the result could be that clocks in Ottawa and Gatineau are one hour apart during daylight saving if the PQ’s bill passes.
The concern is amplified by cross-border commuting and work patterns in the National Capital Region. Statistics Canada’s most recent 2021 census data cited in the report indicates more than one-quarter of Gatineau residents cross a bridge into Ontario for their jobs.
Erin Benjamin, vice-president of the Ottawa Board of Trade, said it is too soon to tell how abolishing time change could impact that cross-border activity, but argued that consequences are likely, saying, “There's no question that everything would get a lot more complicated,” including personal schedules, school, transit, shopping, and trips across the river “for dinner with friends.”
Ottawa public servants who work with colleagues in Gatineau also raised concerns about a possible one-hour difference, with one example given of Jennifer Wallace saying, “Having that one-hour time difference would be very dysfunctional.”
Quebec’s premier said there is no current timeline for tabling the bill, but indicated the change could take effect next year after consulting with experts.
Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard said one way Ontario could reduce disruption would be to align with Quebec, adding, “[It] would create a lot of inconvenience if we were not aligned.”
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