SAAQ eliminating 100 jobs as part of Legault government’s cost-cutting measures

A Quebec auto insurance board (SAAQ) sign in Montreal. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

Quebec’s automobile board is slashing about 100 jobs as part of the François Legault government’s belt-tightening measures to reign in spending.

A spokesperson for the Quebec’s automobile board, the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), confirmed the cuts in a statement to CTV News.

The cuts were first reported by Radio-Canada on Tuesday.

Spokesperson Simon-Pierre Poulin said the Crown corporation will eliminate the positions in three ways: non-renewal of casual contracts, terminating casual positions before they expire on Nov. 21, and attrition for certain positions.

“For employees whose casual contracts have expired, the provisions of the collective agreements have been respected,” he said.

The SAAQ job cuts affect all sectors.

The Crown corporation has been under intense scrutiny in recent months during the ongoing Gallant Commission, a public inquiry triggered by an Auditor General investigation that revealed the SAAQ’s digital platform, SAAQclic, cost taxpayers $500 million more than previously projected.

Last November, the Treasury Board announced a hiring freeze across the public service in Quebec as the province tries to balance the budget after projecting in March a record $11-billion deficit for 2025-2026.