[paolo]

"In Canada, DRL were implemented by making automatic DRL systems
compulsory on all new four-wheeled vehicles from December 1989 onwards.
Automatic operation of the headlamp and rear position (tail) lamp of new
motorcycles sold in Canada had already been made compulsory in 1975.
Since DRL are switched on automatically, they are used on all roads and
during the entire year.

These DRL measures were introduced by the Canadian federal government
which only regulates vehicle safety through laws applying to vehicle
manufacturers and importers. Except for the Yukon Territory, however,
provincial and territorial governments (which are responsible for regulations
concerning road users and road use) have not yet introduced laws requiring
lights to be switched on in daytime, except during inclement weather.

Therefore, the use of DRL is not compulsory in Canada, except for the
Yukon Territory where road users can be fined about € 60 when not using
DRL on rural roads. Outside the Yukon Territory, there are no penalties for
not using DRL, and there are no special police enforcement activities. Even
so, because they are switched on automatically in practice, DRL are used by
all motorized vehicles on all roads during the entire year. DRL must switch
off automatically when headlights are switched on (e.g, at night)."

(Three paragraphs about Canada from this 2004 EU report: http://www.swov.nl/rapport/R-2003-28.pdf. It's based on a questionnaire sent to various world governments)