Quebec auto insurance board digital transition cost nearly $800 million

Commissioner Denis Gallant in Montreal on Thursday, April 24, 2025. (Christinne Muschi / The Canadian Press) (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

To date, Quebec’s auto insurance board (SAAQ) has awarded contracts worth almost $800 million for its digital shift.

This is according to a presentation by the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) on the expenditure incurred by the SAAQ since 2017 for the deployment of its CASA IT program, which includes SAAQclic.

Three AMP representatives continued their testimony on Tuesday morning before the public commission of enquiry into the failures of the SAAQ’s digital shift. The AMP was mandated by Treasury Board President Sonia LeBel to conduct a review of the awarding of CASA contracts.

Before Justice Denis Gallant, they provided a chronology of the process for awarding contracts for the development and operation of the various phases of the IT project.

A $458.4 million framework contract was awarded to a group of external firms in June 2017. Three additional expenditures totaling $153.7 million were then authorized under this contract between November 2022 and June 2024.

Two additional contracts with a total value of approximately $185 million were subsequently awarded in June 2024. These contracts were the subject of a suspension order by the AMP, which was recently lifted.

In all, around $797 million has been allocated to date for deployment of the CASA program. However, this amount does not include expenses incurred internally by the SAAQ, as the AMP is only interested in public contracts.

According to the report of the Auditor General of Quebec (AGQ), tabled last February, the costs associated with work carried out by SAAQ employees were estimated at $179.6 million in the initial budget.

According to the VGQ, the SAAQ will have spent a minimum of $1.1 billion between now and 2027 if it implements all the steps planned for its digital shift.

The “Commission of Inquiry into the Management of the Modernization of the Computer Systems of the Société de l’assurance automobile” was launched in the wake of the VGQ report and subsequent revelations leading to the resignation of Éric Caire as Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs.

The launch of the SAAQclic platform in 2023 had suffered setbacks and led to long queues outside SAAQ branches.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French April 29, 2025.