What do you think about the time change? Quebec wants to know

Quebec wants to know what people think about the time change. 

The province is launching an online public consultation to learn whether Quebecers want to keep switching between eastern standard time during winter and daylight saving time during summer.

Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette announced the consultation at a press conference in Quebec City on Tuesday.

"Every year, the time change raises debates and questions," he said in a statement. 

"This practice, which dates back to the First World War, has a major impact on the daily lives of Quebecers. The time has come to consider whether to abolish the time change and keep the same time all year round."

The online questionnaire asks people their opinions on the time change and whether they would prefer to remain on daylight saving time year-round or on eastern standard time. 

The next time change is Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. That's when most Quebecers switch their clocks back an hour to eastern standard time. Clocks move ahead an hour on the second Sunday in March. 

The time change has long been the subject of debate. In the spring, people lose sleep and suffer negative health consequences — higher rates of heart attacks and increases in traffic and workplace accidents.

"There's absolutely no benefit to changing the time twice a year, from a health perspective," said Roger Godbout, a psychiatry professor at the Université de Montréal.