Quebec’s anti-corruption police open investigation into SAAQclic fiasco

Poster for the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) in Montreal, May 7, 2025. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press)

The Anti-Corruption Commissioner (PBC) announced Thursday afternoon that he has opened an investigation into the CASA/SAAQClic IT project of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).

In a press release, the Commissioner stated that he had opened an investigation at the end of February 2025 “concerning possible wrongdoing in the management of the CASA/SAAQClic IT project” after “studying the report of the Auditor General of Quebec.”

The Commissioner is asking “anyone who has relevant information to share regarding this case” to fill out the form on the CLCC website or to contact the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC).

The Commissioner specified that he will not provide any details regarding the ongoing investigation.

The CLCC is a police force whose mission is “to ensure, on behalf of the State, the coordination of actions to prevent and combat corruption in the public sector.”

It directs and coordinates the investigative teams that make up the UPAC.

$500 million in cost overruns

The SAAQ’s digital transition project could cost at least $1.1 billion by 2027, $500 million more than expected, according to the Auditor General’s report published last February. The SAAQ’s failed digital shift led to long lineups outside branches in 2023 and sparked debate in the National Assembly, putting the Legault government on the defensive, embarrassing it, and even forcing one of its ministers, Éric Caire, to resign.

The Legault government has consistently defended itself, claiming to have been duped.

The fiasco is also the subject of a public inquiry by Judge Denis Gallant.

The “Commission of Inquiry into the Management of the Modernization of the Société de l’assurance automobile’s IT Systems” began at the end of April and will continue through the summer.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 5, 2025.

By Stéphane Blais, The Canadian Press