I’m in Canada, very familiar with the laws and regulations. The automatic lights on the HHR are sufficient, the headlights come on automatically when shifted out of park, the headlights and running lights come on at dusk automatically, triggered by the light sensor on the dashboard in the middle.
On the 2006 model year , the headlights do not light up until after dusk , the front turn signals light up as the DRL’s

 

So perhaps OP just needs to move the shifter out of park, if it is an automatic transmission. Or release the parking brake, if it is a manual transmission.

 

The entire reason the HHR has DRL is to be sold in Canada; so I don't get the premise.

 

it looks convincing
I personally never paid close attention to this. Of course, I know that I have automatic headlights, but I never imagined that this was done to comply with traffic rules. We have no such obligation.
If you are interested, we have a duty to drive with light (with light of anything) on a suburban road,... There should probably be light within the city limits too, but I'm not sure. In any case, the cops won't fine you for this, even in the dark. Well, maybe only if a particular cop really hates you.

 

We are talking about DaytimeRunningLights. Some type of lights on the front of the car for visibility. 2006 HHR uses the front turn signals later models use the low headlight beams (city beams). The automatic lights switch on the tail lights, marker lights and the headlights.

Your 2006 will have the front turn signal lights (only) illuminated while the car is not in park in day light.

 

The OP is speaking about an ‘09.

 

geg has a 2006

 

I mentioned the 2006 DRL being the front turn signals/ running lights, post #11, for those who own an ‘06.
There seems to be a lot of them in my neck of the woods, most of the HHR’s I see have just the running light DRL’s

 

There is a weird backstory to all this, with GM trying to get DTRL regulations unified in both counties for obvious reasons, with incomplete and slightly comical success. I don’t remember the details but I think where it stands now is it’s mandatory in Canada but no longer so in the U.S., where it is now optional?

I vaguely remember a story years ago where someone in Europe go busted for illegally importing or operating a vehicle from another country because he brought it from where DTRL’s were require to where they were banned. Denmark/Netherlands, maybe.

One place thinks it’s unsafe without them, another thinks it’s unsafe with them, but RULES IS RULES!!!

Gotta love regulations.

 

In the 90's all Chevys had them but. the relay was a dealer option. They didn't bother to mention that you could buy your own $2 relay and stick it in the fuse box instead of paying 1 hour labor.