We started changing the time during World War I…and it was supposed to be temporary

The adoption of daylight saving time in Canada dates back to the First World War. But the very idea of ​​changing the time came from the American Benjamin Franklin who was the first, in 1784, to suggest shifting times to save energy.

His proposal was to advance the time during the summer season to synchronize the hours when the population is active at work with the moment of sunshine. This way of doing things would obviously reduce energy consumption by reducing the use of massive lighting in the evening.

THE GREAT WAR IMPOSED THIS CHANGE ON US

It was not until 1916 that the first country, Germany, adopted the time change. The wear and tear of the conflict will force the Germans to be creative in saving coal in order to successfully sustain war production. Their initiative will be followed by the British and the French. The United States and Canada would eventually follow suit in 1918. In Canada, the idea was intended to be temporary. Countries moved clocks forward one hour in the spring (to start the day earlier) and set them back one hour in the fall.

After the conflict, the principle was abandoned. However, during the Second World War, the federal government again imposed daylight saving time, year-round, across Canada for similar reasons, but mainly to save energy and maximize daylight for activities. industrial and military.

AFTER 1945

After the Second World War, daylight saving time was adopted and abandoned in varying degrees across Canadian provinces and territories. As there is no uniform standard, local time is different from region to region.

In the 1960s, efforts were made to standardize daylight saving time in Canada. The North American Time Zone Commission is playing a role in proposing a more consistent standard for time zones and daylight saving time. However, no firm decision will be imposed. Thus, during the 1970s and 1980s, debates continued about the economic and social benefits of daylight saving time.

Then, in 1987, it was decided that time zones and daylight saving time would henceforth be regulated by the provinces and territories as well as by the cities. As a result, until the mid-2000s, in parts of Canada that use daylight saving time, the clocks followed those of the Americans, which meant that daylight saving time began on the first Sunday in April and that it was falls on the first Sunday in October.

In Quebec, regions near Labrador never change the time. This is the case in Blanc-Sablon. When Quebec advances the time, the city shares the clock with most Quebecers and in winter, it switches to Maritime time, like the Magdalen Islands. Imagine the headache for the Chief Electoral Officer during the polls. Finally, since 2007, daylight saving time has been established from the second Sunday in March until the first Sunday in November.

PUBLIC DEBATE

In recent years, there have been discussions about whether to keep or abandon daylight saving time, citing the potential benefits to public health and productivity. It must be said that today, citing the potential energy savings with daylight saving time is less strong because lighting represents a little less than 5% of the electricity cost of homes. In addition, this trend is decreasing with the arrival of less energy-consuming bulbs on the market. In fact, it is rather by analyzing heating consumption that we should carry out studies to find out if the time change is still appropriate.

In 2024, barely 20% of the world’s population will change the time, probably because the authorities realize that the energy benefits are rather small and that this change disrupts sleep. So why are we still imposing this constraint here? The answer comes in particular from the fact that our neighbors to the South, our main trading partners, are moving forward and we want to remain well anchored to their economy.

REFERENCES:

· Canadian Encyclopedialast update 2022

· Blog Space for life“Why are we changing the time?”, March 8, 2018.