"Unfortunate." That's how Emerson MLA, Cliff Graydon, is describing his loss in a bid to nix Daylight Saving Time in Manitoba.

MLAs defeated the private member's bill by a vote of 34-5 Thursday in the legislature.

"I did have some people that said 'We're not opposed to Daylight Saving Time, we're opposed to the switch. We would want to stay on Daylight Saving Time,' said Graydon. He added he's had some colleagues say they enjoy the extra hour of sunshine that Daylight Saving Time offers. "I said then make an amendment, but no one stepped up to the plate to let it go to committee to do that."

Graydon, who sits as an Independent, says he had hoped his colleagues had enough respect for Manitobans to at least let the bill to committee for discussion.

One of the reasons Graydon was fighting for the change was due to what he says were health concerns brought on by the loss of sleep due to the time change twice a year. He refers to the time change as disruptive and says it causes traffic accidents, heart attacks, mental health cases, and workplace injuries.

In addition, Graydon says nearly 75% of respondents to a pair of media surveys were in support of the bill. He notes nearly 2,000 people signed petitions lobbying for the change as well.