Montreal – After months of testimony from Quebec ministers, civil servants, and automobile insurance board officials, Judge Denis Gallant is expected to table his final report on the events surrounding the tumultuous release of the SAAQclic website at a news conference morning. The report promises to shed light on a digital transformation project that spiralled dramatically over budget and triggered a significant public backlash.
Government officials received an advance copy of the report on , setting the stage for what is anticipated to be a politically sensitive moment for the province. The inquiry was launched in response to a scathing report by then-Auditor General Guylaine Leclerc last year, which labelled the SAAQclic launch a complete failure.
The initial rollout of SAAQclic in was marred by significant issues, leaving many Quebecers facing long queues in cold weather as they attempted to renew driver’s licenses or access their accounts. Leclerc’s report detailed how the project’s costs ballooned to over $1.1 billion – at least $500 million over the original budget – and highlighted a critical lack of adequate testing before the platform went live.
The Gallant commission, formally known as the public inquiry, has spent 75 days hearing testimony from over 130 witnesses and reviewing more than 200,000 documents. The initial deadline for the report’s submission was , but it was postponed twice due to the sheer volume of evidence.
Opposition parties are keenly awaiting the report’s findings, emphasizing the importance of accountability and lessons learned as the government prepares to embark on further digital transformation projects, particularly within the healthcare sector. Quebec Liberal transport critic Monsef Derraji stated a desire to understand “who’s responsible, at the political side but also at the management level,” adding, “We should take some notes for the future. We have so many IT projects, now in the health-care system, in justice, everywhere.”
The Parti-Québécois (PQ), positioning itself as the government-in-waiting, echoed the call for accountability, with leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon emphasizing the need to understand how funds were allocated given existing budgetary constraints across the province. “In a context where we failed to fund correctly many fundamental missions of the Quebec state, there’s so much money involved and we need to understand how did we get there,” he said.
In a preemptive move, Karl Malenfant, the SAAQ’s former vice-president of digital experience, held a news conference last week to present his account of events. Described by some as an architect of the online platform, Malenfant asserted he was unfairly targeted in a smear campaign orchestrated by an IT firm and a lobbying firm, and used as a scapegoat for the project’s failures. He presented a 112-page document responding to allegations against him, claiming he had advocated for postponing the launch when concerns about the platform’s readiness arose. He also argued that the SAAQclic project’s cost overruns were comparatively lower than those of previous digital transition initiatives.
The inquiry has also brought scrutiny to former transport ministers Geneviève Guilbault and François Bonnardel, as well as Premier François Legault, raising questions about their awareness of the escalating costs and potential issues before the website’s launch. All three maintained they were unaware of the extent of the cost overruns prior to the auditor general’s report. However, testimony and documents presented during the inquiry suggested that some members of Legault’s cabinet were informed about budget concerns as early as , although the full scope of the overruns may not have been immediately apparent.
The commission has reportedly issued “notices of misconduct” to some members of Guilbault’s cabinet who testified during the public inquiry, suggesting potential accountability measures are being considered.
Political science professor Donal Gill, of Concordia University, believes the most significant damage to the governing Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) has already been done. The fallout from the SAAQclic scandal led to the resignation of Éric Caire as cybersecurity minister following the publication of the auditor general’s report. Premier Legault and Guilbault have also announced they will not seek re-election.
“The most significant damage that could be done from the report has already been done,” Gill said. “This [report] is not going to land with a massive bang the way it would have had the premier decided to stay on.” He anticipates that the two candidates vying to succeed Legault, Bernard Drainville and Christine Fréchette, will attempt to distance themselves from the report’s findings. “You might see them throw a few people under the bus as an attempt to try to turn the page and change the channel,” he added.
The release of Judge Gallant’s report is expected to trigger a period of intense political debate and scrutiny in Quebec, with implications for future digital governance and public spending.
