Permanent daylight saving time is happening. But not in the US.

More than 5.6 million people will be setting their clocks forward for the last time in March.

They just aren't here in the United States. 

British Columbia, one of Canada's largest provinces, announced it is moving permanently to daylight saving time, and in its reasoning for the switch hinted at tensions with the country's neighbors to the south.

Previously, the province changed times in sync with the West Coast of the United States. The government said it waited to make the change because it wanted to coordinate with bordering U.S. states.

"Recent actions from the U.S. have shifted how B.C. approaches decisions that merit alignment, including on time zones," the government said. "Making this change now reflects the current preferences and needs of British Columbians, and helps ensure the province is well-positioned to thrive, even when circumstances across the border evolve."

The government of British Columbia said it made the move after an overwhelming majority – 93% – favored permanent daylight saving in a survey of residents in 2019.

Attitudes about daylight saving time in the United States have trended toward doing away with time changes: In January 2025, more than half of Americans, 54%, said they want to end the practice in a Gallup poll.

British Columbia said it is doing away with time changes to "improve people’s overall health, reduce disruptions for families, simplify scheduling and provide an extra hour of evening light during the winter months."

After the time change on March 8, residents and businesses will have eight months to prepare for Nov. 1, when clocks would usually be set back an hour, but this year will remain the same. British Columbia will call its time zone Pacific Time. In the winter, the province will be aligned with neighboring Alberta and other areas in Mountain Standard Time, and the rest of the year it will align with Pacific Standard Time, observed in California, Washington state, Oregon and others.

Twice a year, in March when we "spring forward" and in November when we "fall back," there are renewed calls for adopting a permanent time. But despite what appears to be growing momentum in the United States for change – or, rather, an end to the changes – only two states and a handful of U.S. territories keep the same time year-round.

Will the US ever end time changes?

There have been rumblings that United States could join some of its Canadian neighbors. But the federal government doesn't allow it – yet.

No state can adopt permanent daylight saving time unless U.S. Congress passes a law to authorize it first. But several states have adopted or considered legislation to make the switch if or when Congress comes around to the idea. States can use permanent standard time, as Hawaii and most of Arizona do.

Hundreds of bills and resolutions have been introduced in states in recent years related to daylight saving, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. In 2026, there are 23 measures pending in at least 16 states; a slight majority favor permanent standard time over permanent daylight saving, according to the NCSL.

As of March 2026, there are 18 states that would adopt permanent daylight saving time if Congress authorized it and, in some cases, if their neighboring states also made the change.

While he was a senator, Secretary of State Marco Rubio repeatedly called for his legislation to make daylight saving permanent. The Sunshine Protect Act passed the Senate in 2022, but never made progress in the House of Representatives.

The Sunshine Protection Act of 2025 was also introduced but remains stalled in committee, NCSL reported. There’s also the Daylight Act of 2026, which would move the U.S. time zones forward 30 minutes and leave them there permanently, splitting the difference between daylight saving and standard time.

President Donald Trump has at times said he supports doing away with time changes, but has also appeared hesitant, last year calling it a "50-50 issue."

“If something's a 50-50 issue, it's hard to get excited about it,” Trump said last March. “I assume people would like to have more light later, but some people want to have more light earlier, because they don't want to take their kids to school in the dark …  It’s something I can do but a lot of people like it one way, and a lot of people like it the other way.”

Here's what the science says about daylight saving time and your health

Experts say changing the clocks twice a year can be detrimental to health. Erik Herzog, a professor of biology and neuroscience at Washington University in St. Louis and the former president of the Society for Research on Biological Rhythms, previously told USA TODAY that permanent standard time would be most beneficial.

Herzog said time changes disrupt circadian rhythm, or the body's internal clock. Springing forward is harder on the body than falling back, he said. The shift in spring is associated with an increase in heart attacks and car accidents, Herzog said. Studies show that the health impacts of earlier sunrises and sunsets are much better for health; waking up naturally with the sun is far better for our bodies than having to rely on alarm clocks to wake up in the dark, he said.

Car accidents increase by 6% following the spring change to daylight saving, according to a University of Colorado Boulder study.

"The medical and scientific communities are unified ... that permanent standard time is better for human health," Herzog told USA TODAY in 2024.