Quebec premier orders independent public inquiry into SAAQclic fiasco

Quebec Premier François Legault is ordering an independent and public inquiry into the SAAQclic "fiasco," he wrote in a post to X on Sunday afternoon. 

The premier wrote that after "thinking about [the fiasco] all weekend," he asked Quebec's secretary general to prepare a decree launching the investigation as soon as possible to shed light on the players responsible — both at the administrative and political levels.

"When there are failures in government, even if it is within a Crown corporation, in the end it is we who are accountable to the population and we must assume this responsibility," wrote the premier. 

SAAQclic is the online platform of Quebec's automobile insurance board, known as the SAAQ. It  was meant to simplify and modernize processes like renewing a driver's license or scheduling a driving test. Instead, its rollout, in February 2023, was marked by computer glitches and administrative errors — among other challenges — producing long lines outside SAAQ offices. 

On Feb. 20, 2025, Quebec's auditor general Guylaine Leclerc published a report into the chaotic launch and found that the SAAQ had blown through its budget, with about $500 million in projected cost overruns, and that there were serious problems with transparency about the issues facing the new system.

Legault made reference to those findings in his post.

"The right information was not transmitted, the project was poorly planned and it was commissioned when everything was not ready. This is unacceptable," he said.

He said this new investigation will complement the work already being done by the auditor general and the AMP, which is the agency that oversees public contracts. He said he won't hesitate to sanction people after the investigation is over if he has to.

On Thursday, Quebec's minister responsible for cybersecurity and digital technology Éric Caire announced he was resigning as minister, saying the debacle had become a distraction to the Quebec government and premier.