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Canada cheers U.S. effort to abolish ‘spring forward, fall back’ daylight time ritual

Senate bill still needs to pass the U.S. House of Representatives
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Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill on Oct. 7, 2021, in Washington. Markey couldn’t contain his excitement this week when the Senate unanimously passed a plan that would make daylight time permanent across the country. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Alex Brandon

A giddy Massachusetts senator, clapping his hands and dancing with delight in the shadow of a sun-drenched U.S. Capitol, isn’t something one sees every day.

But doing away with the annoying ritual of changing the clocks twice a year just brings out the joy in some people.

They include Sen. Ed Markey, who couldn’t contain his excitement this week when the Senate unanimously passed a plan that would make daylight time permanent across the country.

The bill still needs to pass the House of Representatives, where Speaker Nancy Pelosi has yet to indicate whether she intends to bring it to a vote.

But it has widespread support — including in Canada, where Ottawa and the provinces have long maintained they would need the U.S. to do it first.

Anthony Housefather, a Liberal MP from Montreal, says Canada will need to follow suit if the U.S. bill becomes law, while B.C. Premier John Horgan says he’s happy to see Congress taking the initial steps.

—The Canadian Press

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