The high-stakes political theatre around Quebec’s SAAQclic debacle reached new intensity yesterday as Premier François Legault attempted to redirect responsibility for the half-billion-dollar digital transformation disaster that left thousands of Quebecers stranded without vehicle registration services last year.
Speaking before the parliamentary committee investigating the troubled launch, Legault displayed a marked shift in tone from his earlier defiant stance, acknowledging public frustration while simultaneously pointing fingers at civil servants and technology providers rather than accepting ministerial accountability.
“I understand Quebecers’ anger. I share it,” Legault told committee members during his three-hour testimony. “But we must remember that my ministers were given incomplete information by those managing the project.”
The premier’s testimony comes fourteen months after the February 2023 launch of SAAQclic, the online vehicle registration system that was supposed to modernize Quebec’s vehicle services but instead created unprecedented backlogs, forced office closures, and triggered public outrage across the province.
Documents obtained through access to information requests revealed the project’s costs ballooned from an initially projected $95 million to nearly $500 million – a 426% overrun that opposition parties have characterized as one of Quebec’s most expensive government technology failures.
Liberal opposition critic Marwah Rizqy didn’t mince words after yesterday’s hearing. “The premier is trying to wash his hands of a mess that happened on his watch. Civil servants don’t decide budgets or timelines – ministers do.”
The premier’s testimony contradicted statements from former Transport Minister François Bonnardel, who in March 2023 claimed he had “never been informed of major problems” before the system launch. Internal emails released last fall showed technical warnings reached ministerial offices at least six months before deployment.
“Someone is not telling the truth,” said Québec Solidaire spokesperson Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois. “Either ministers knew and proceeded anyway, or they created a culture where bad news couldn’t travel upward. Neither explanation reflects well on this government.”
Particularly controversial was Legault’s assertion that the civil service bears primary responsibility for not halting the project despite mounting evidence of technical shortcomings. Several former SAAQ technology managers who testified earlier this month claimed their warnings were dismissed by political appointees eager to meet pre-election launch deadlines.
Pierre Dufour, a retired SAAQ project manager who worked on early implementation phases, told Radio-Canada last week that “there was tremendous pressure from above to deliver before the election, ready or not.” The CAQ government has denied these allegations.
For everyday Quebecers, the technical debate masks the real-world consequences they faced. Montrealer Justine Lapointe recalled waiting seven hours at a service center last March only to be turned away. “I couldn’t register my car for weeks. I almost lost my job because I couldn’t get to work,” she told me outside yesterday’s hearing.
The financial implications extend beyond the direct project costs. The Quebec government was forced to deploy hundreds of additional temporary workers at service centers, extend office hours, and postpone revenue collection – measures estimated to cost taxpayers an additional $40-50 million according to Treasury Board figures.
Technology experts have questioned why Quebec continues struggling with digital transformation projects. Simon Gaudreau, professor of information systems at Université Laval, points to a pattern: “From SAGIR to SAAQclic, we see the same issues – overly ambitious scope, inadequate testing, and a disconnect between technical realities and political timelines.”
What remains unclear after Legault’s testimony is precisely who will be held accountable for the massive cost overruns. Despite calling the situation “unacceptable,” the premier announced no specific consequences for ministers or senior officials involved in approving the flawed implementation plan.
“It’s the standard Quebec playbook,” said political analyst Marie-Claude Prémont from École nationale d’administration publique. “Launch an investigation, express outrage, blame nameless bureaucrats, then move on without significant reforms to prevent the next fiasco.”
The committee is expected to issue preliminary findings next month, though opposition parties have already called for an expanded mandate to examine other troubled technology projects across government ministries.
As Quebecers approach another summer tourism season, the SAAQ reports service times have returned to pre-implementation levels, though some specialized services remain backlogged. For the Legault government, however, the political damage continues as questions about ministerial competence and accountability persist.
The premier concluded his testimony with a promise that “lessons have been learned,” though specifics about procurement reforms or new project management approaches were notably absent from his remarks.
Whether those lessons translate into better digital services for Quebecers remains to be seen. For now, the half-billion-dollar question of who truly bears responsibility for the SAAQclic disaster continues to hang over Quebec’s national assembly.
