Microsoft blamed as Quebec's SAAQ service centres shut down amid major IT outage
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Political backlash mounts over Quebec's digital failures
SAAQ promises fix, says no personal data breached
SAAQclic still under scrutiny amid renewed outage
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A critical IT failure linked to Microsoft servers has forced the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to shut down all its service centres for a second day, triggering a wave of political scrutiny and public inconvenience.The outage began at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, May 6 affecting a suite of backend servers essential to various SAAQ operations, including its controversial online platform, SAAQclic. While the SAAQclic system itself remains 'functional,' users are currently unable to access it.Also read: EU power grid needs trillion-dollar upgrade to avert Spain-style blackouts "It's totally unacceptable, but it's not SAAQClic, it's Microsoft,' said Gilles Bélanger, Minister of Cybersecurity and the Digital Economy, in a media scrum Wednesday morning, May 7. Bélanger, who inherited the portfolio following the resignation of Éric Caire amid the SAAQclic debacle, added, 'I'm following the situation very closely.'As a result of the outage, all SAAQ service centres were closed Wednesday, except for those conducting practical driving tests. The SAAQ confirmed that clients with other types of appointments would be contacted for rescheduling 'in the coming days.'Although the government insists Microsoft is at fault, the incident quickly reignited criticism over the province's broader digital infrastructure strategy, particularly the SAAQclic project, which was launched with a price tag that ballooned by $500 million and led to widespread service disruptions in 2023.'It's a fiasco!' said Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the Liberal opposition, during a Wednesday news briefing. 'At what point does the Minister (of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault) become responsible?'Also read: Microsoft down! Massive outage strands users without email, apps Quebec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said Quebecers had 'overpaid hundreds of millions for a project that probably doesn't work,' while Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Paradis called the situation 'very embarrassing' for the government. Paradis also stressed the 'real impact' on citizens and reiterated his party's call for an inquiry into all provincial IT contracts.Despite the SAAQ outage being blamed on Microsoft, the incident is deepening public skepticism about Quebec's digital governance and accountability.In an official statement, the SAAQ confirmed the outage was related to several Microsoft-managed servers, which support key services. The organization emphasized that 'our teams and those at Microsoft are fully mobilized and working tirelessly to resolve this issue as quickly as possible.'Also read: X Global Outage: Is it restored? What we know so far Importantly, the SAAQ reassured citizens that no personal data has been compromised as a result of the technical failure.Gino Desrosiers, a spokesperson for the SAAQ, said clients with canceled appointments would be offered alternatives. 'We're going to offer alternatives to minimize the inconvenience on our clientele,' Desrosiers told Radio-Canada.The board has not specified when services will resume or what the root cause of the Microsoft server issue is.The SAAQclic platform, which was intended to modernize how Quebecers interact with the SAAQ, has been marred by a series of setbacks since its troubled launch in 2023. Despite Bélanger's assertion that the platform itself is not to blame this time, the outage is reinforcing public distrust toward the government's digital shift.A public commission of inquiry is already examining the SAAQclic rollout, particularly its massive cost overruns and usability issues. The current outage, though technically unrelated, comes at a time when Quebec's digital ambitions are under a microscope.Also read: WhatsApp faces outage for the second time, netizens react While practical driving tests continue, all theoretical exams and in-person services are suspended indefinitely. The SAAQ said it will provide updates as soon as the issue is resolved.
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