B.C.'s Official Opposition introduces bill to prevent future time changes

Chad Pawson · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 13, 2025 6:32 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

Still sleepy from this week's clip change?

B.C's Official Opposition hopes to marque governmental hay successful the sunshine and has introduced a measure that calls for the contiguous extremity to immoderate aboriginal clip changes successful the province. The drawback is getting the authorities to enactment it.

"Let's get this implemented," said John Rustad arsenic helium roseate successful the legislature Thursday to present his bill: Interpretation (Uniform Pacific Time Zone) Amendment Act. 

"Let's extremity these clip changes successful British Columbian for people's health."

Rustad told the location radical successful the state are done with twice-yearly clip changes, citing consequences specified arsenic slumber deprivation, wellness issues, and car accidents.

To thrust location the urgency for a change, Rustad's enactment went further successful its argument, saying the alteration could beryllium portion of the "elbows up," Canada-first attack successful its commercialized warfare with the U.S.

"This premier wants to hold for the U.S. earlier we marque a determination astir B.C. for  B.C.," said Ward Stamer, MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson, during question period.

"So, Mr. Speaker, however tin the premier assertion helium is elbows up against becoming the 51st authorities portion allowing the U.S. to dictate however we acceptable our clocks?"

WATCH: CBC News explains however 'elbows up' became a Canadian rallying cry:

In 2019, much than 223,000 British Columbians voted connected whether oregon not to halt switching clocks, with 93 per cent of participants voting successful favour of a determination to imperishable daylight time. Switching to imperishable modular clip was not a voting option.

The NDP authorities passed authorities to marque the change, but with nary steadfast timeline. 

Premier David Eby has said the alteration wouldn't beryllium enacted until B.C.'s American neighbours — including Washington state, Oregon and California — did the same.

In effect to an enquiry earlier the clip alteration connected March 9, which questioned waiting connected the U.S. owed to the ongoing commercialized war, Eby said helium would "ponder" expediting it.

Rustad's question doesn't look to person sparked immoderate urgency from the premier, though.

"Trust me, I americium arsenic sympathetic arsenic the adjacent feline to kids that person occupation adjusting to clip changes oregon pets oregon conscionable waking up feeling similar you're an hr behind. But successful this moment, that is not government's No. 1 priority," helium said Thursday.

WATCH: CBC News explains the effects of twice-yearly timepiece changes:

Rustad said if the authorities supported his bill, it could beryllium passed "in a day" and past rapidly enacted.

The archetypal speechmaking of the Interpretation (Uniform Pacific Time Zone) Amendment Act was passed successful the legislature connected Thursday and volition present spell to 2nd reading.

Daylight clip for overmuch of the state ends connected Nov. 2.