Latest news with #GallantCommission
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec government fires head of SAAQ
Éric Ducharme, president and CEO of the SAAQ, has been fired by François Legault's government. (CTV News) Éric Ducharme, president and CEO of Quebec's automobile insurance board, the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec, has been fired by François Legault's government, The Canadian Press has confirmed. Ducharme, a former Treasury Board secretary, was appointed to the role in April 2023 to restore order at the SAAQ, which had been in crisis since the disastrous rollout of its SAAQclic platform. In June, an internal auditor at the SAAQ, Nadia Brière, reported to the Gallant Commission, which was tasked with investigating the SAAQclic fiasco, that she believed poor contract management was continuing at the state-owned corporation. On June 18, the province's anti-corruption unit (UPAC) searched the SAAQ's head office. READ MORE: Quebec's anti-corruption police open investigation into SAAQclic fiasco Brière also corroborated statements made by her former colleague, Marie-Line Lalonde, that Ducharme had very little interest in internal auditing. Lalonde told the commission that she felt she had been 'spat on' during a meeting in January 2024 as Ducharme stood idly by, seemingly saying, 'I don't want your work.' Ducharme has not yet given his version of events to the commission, as Judge Denis Gallant denied a request by SAAQ lawyer Sébastien Laprise to have him testify. In recent months, Legault and Quebec Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault have refused to reiterate their confidence in Ducharme publicly. Annie Lafond, current vice president of policyholder services at the SAAQ, is expected to replace him as CEO, according to information obtained by The Canadian Press on Wednesday. Before joining the SAAQ a few months ago, Lafond spent five years as vice president of digital transformation and customer experience at Beneva. - This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on July 9, 2025.
CBC
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- CBC
Quebec to fire head of SAAQ amid public inquiry into online platform debacle
The Legault government is firing the CEO of Quebec's automobile insurance board, Éric Ducharme, Radio-Canada has learned. Annie Lafond, the current vice-president of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), is expected to be named interim CEO. The Journal de Montréal first reported the story. Ducharme was appointed on April 5, 2023, more than a month after the chaotic launch of the SAAQclic digital platform, which led to a $500-million cost overrun, according to a scathing report by the auditor general. The platform was intended to centralize most of the services from the SAAQ. But when it launched in February 2023, users across the province struggled to access and navigate it, and for weeks, frustrated drivers lined up in the cold outside SAAQ offices as technical issues dragged on. In June, Quebec's anti-corruption unit, known as UPAC, said it had been investigating the rollout of SAAQclic for months. A public inquiry into the matter — presided over by Denis Gallant and known as the Gallant commission — started on April 24 of this year.
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
SAAQclic: Former CEO says his confidence in IT VP has been shaken
Commissioner Denis Gallant of the Commission of Inquiry into the Management of the Modernization of the Société de l'assurance automobile (SAAQ) IT Systems is awaiting the start of the public inquiry into the failures of the SAAQclic platform in Montreal on Thursday, April 24 2025. A public inquiry into the SAAQ's costly digital transformation has revealed that it could cost the province nearly half a billion dollars more than originally anticipated. (Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press) The former president and CEO of Quebec's auto insurance board (SAAQ) says his confidence in his IT leader 'seriously eroded' after the failed launch of the SAAQclic platform, but he was not ready to fire him. On Friday, Denis Marsolais testified about the first weeks of the crisis that followed the disastrous rollout of the new interface in February 2023. He was the one who found himself in the spotlight 'defending his organization' in the media. He relied on the words of his vice-president of information technology (IT), Karl Malenfant. Marsolais gave the example of a radio interview with host Paul Arcand in the early days of the crisis. 'I told him, 'Rest assured, Mr. Arcand, I'm told that the problems (with) the software will be resolved within two to three months.'' 'Again, I'm not making this up. I'm not the expert. I was told that the problems would be resolved within three months,' Marsolais told the Gallant Commission. 'Who told you that?' asked Commissioner Denis Gallant. Malenfant, replied the former CEO. 'Mr. Malenfant, he's selling you the seventh wonder of the world, and you end up with a system that doesn't work,' said the commissioner. Gallant asked him if he still trust his VP of IT, even though there were endless queues in front of the branches and people were not signing up for the platform. 'Now it's starting to seriously fall apart,' Marsolais acknowledged. Yet in the weeks and days leading up to the launch of SAAQclic, he said he was confident about the project, despite some warnings. 'Everyone was not only confident, but agreed to roll it out and that we were ready for deployment. So I trusted the experts around the table,' he said. 'I wasn't told everything' Marsolais suggested that he ultimately felt betrayed by Malenfant. 'Throughout my career, I have always had associate deputy ministers and vice-presidents in my inner circle. I have always trusted these people. They have always been loyal to me. They have never betrayed my trust,' he said. 'Today, I have to tell you that I think there is an exception to the rule,' he added. Marsolais felt that Malenfant did not give him 'all the information at the right time.' 'I am increasingly certain that I was not told everything,' he said, adding that he 'should have been more vigilant.' The executive revealed that someone had suggested he dismiss his IT boss in March 2023. He felt that replacing Malenfant in the middle of a mess would have been 'even more dramatic.' 'I told him that Mr. Malenfant is theoretically retiring in December. (...) I said, 'Give me until June. In June, he will take early retirement and that's it,'' explained Marsolais. Instead, it was Marsolais who left first, when he 'left his role' in April. He is now president of the Office de la protection du consommateur (consumer protection agency). Summer break The conclusion of Marsolais' testimony on Friday marked the end of the eighth week of hearings by the Gallant Commission, which aims to shed light on the setbacks encountered during the SAAQ's digital transformation. Public hearings are suspended until Aug. 18 for a summer break. In the meantime, the commission team will continue its investigation. Tens of thousands of documents must be reviewed. To date, more than 300 exhibits have been filed and 45 witnesses have been heard during the public hearings. 'One thing is already clear: the overall budget for the project has grown to immeasurable proportions,' said the commission's chief prosecutor, Simon Tremblay. The SAAQ's failed digital transition is expected to cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion, or $500 million more than anticipated, according to calculations by the Auditor General of Quebec. One of the next areas the commission is expected to examine is 'who knew what.' 'We got a taste of it this week. This is the beginning of that part,' said Tremblay. There are still several key players to be questioned, including former CEO Nathalie Tremblay and the current CEO, Éric Ducharme, as well as Malenfant, whose name has come up repeatedly since the testimony began. The latter submitted a request this week to obtain participant status, which would allow him to cross-examine witnesses. His request is currently under review. CAQ ministers François Bonnardel and Geneviève Guilbeault have also not been heard so far. The commission will have to hear them before the National Assembly resumes its work in mid-September. The Legault government has granted the Gallant commission a two-and-a-half-month extension to complete its mandate. The commissioner must submit his report by Dec. 15 at the latest, according to the new schedule. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 20, 2025. Frédéric Lacroix-Couture, The Canadian Press
Montreal Gazette
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
UPAC searches Quebec auto insurance board in connection with SAAQclic scandal
By La Presse Canadienne Quebec anticorruption police searched the headquarters of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec on Wednesday in connection with the SAAQclic scandal. 'We can confirm today that we are conducting a search in the SAAQclic case. We will not be giving any details about this in order to protect our investigation,' the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) said in a statement to Presse Canadienne. 'Generally speaking, a search in a fraud or corruption investigation is used to obtain evidence that will allow us to confirm or deny the commission of wrongdoing. The seized documents must then be analyzed and may then require witness interviews.' Premier François Legault said Wednesday the situation at the SAAQ and recent testimony at the Gallant Commission investigating the SAAQclic scandal is 'worrying.' The premier continued to refuse to reiterate his confidence in SAAQ CEO Éric Ducharme. 'I think we have to wait for the final report,' Legault said. 'He hasn't given his testimony yet, so let's let him explain. What's important is to get to the bottom of things.' In a statement, the SAAQ said it is 'fully co-operating with the ongoing investigation and will not comment further in order to respect the work of the authorities and preserve the integrity of the process.' UPAC's search came as former SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais testified before the Gallant Commission. UPAC has been investigating SAAQclic since February. The pressure is mounting on Ducharme because of testimony before the Gallant Commission. In an open letter published in Le Soleil on Wednesday, he wrote: 'The investigation conducted by the Commission of Inquiry into the management of the modernization of the SAAQ's IT systems is a necessary step to provide a comprehensive assessment of our digital transition and its impact on our customers and partners. We reiterate our commitment to working with this body to complete the process and shed full light on past events.' Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault indicated that she had written to UPAC twice. 'I wanted to make them aware of the scandalous nature of everything that was being said and everything that appears to have happened at the SAAQ,' she said Wednesday. 'This morning, I see that they are operating at the SAAQ headquarters. So, seeing institutions doing their job is always reassuring.' This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 11:06 AM.
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Business
- CTV News
SAAQclic ‘bumpy' as early as 2018, witness tells Gallant commission
The Gallant Commission, tasked with investigating the failures of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) IT transition, on May 15, 2025, in Quebec City. (The Canadian Press/Jacques Boissinot) The digital transition at Quebec's automobile insurance board (SAAQ) was already 'bumpy' in 2018, the commission investigating the SAAQclic fiasco heard Monday. Sylvain Cloutier, director of the project office, testified before the Gallant commission, which travelled to Quebec City to begin its sixth week of hearings. He spoke about the coloured indicators used by his team to track progress — markers that, without clear explanation, often shifted from red to green. 'When things become increasingly chaotic, doesn't accountability matter?' asked Justice Denis Gallant, pressing Cloutier on his apparent lack of control over how the colours were assigned. Cloutier said the indicators 'on their own weren't enough' to give a full picture of the project's status. The board's vice-president of information technology, Karl Malenfant, would regularly step in to offer 'explanations.' Malenfant's name has surfaced repeatedly over the past six weeks at the Gallant commission. 'There were problems, but Mr. Malenfant didn't try to hide them,' said Cloutier. 'He's an experienced man. He's led major projects at Hydro-Québec, at Rio Tinto. He knows what he's talking about. He came in to explain things and reassure the team — not reassure as in spinning stories,' Cloutier added. 'Was everyone aware?' commission lawyer Vincent Ranger asked. 'Was Mr. Malenfant transparent about how difficult the rollout was?' 'Yes,' Cloutier replied. 'Would it be fair to say Mr. Malenfant is naturally optimistic?' Ranger followed up. 'Yes, that's true,' Cloutier said. 'But not in a head-in-the-clouds way. He likes a challenge.' 'I didn't take bribes' Cloutier also admitted Monday to manipulating a public tender worth over $1 million so it would be awarded to external consultant Stéphane Mercier. 'That was my mistake,' Cloutier acknowledged under questioning from Justice Gallant. 'I'm not saying what I did was right. But I take responsibility — it was me.' In 2017, Cloutier urgently requested the bidding threshold be lowered to $990,000 after Mercier informed him he couldn't qualify for the contract because he didn't have authorization from Quebec's financial markets authority. That authorization is required for contracts valued at more than $1 million. 'I was in a panic,' Cloutier said, recalling thinking, 'If I don't have this guy to keep going, we're in deep trouble (…) I'm losing expertise.' 'I did it with the intention of not delaying the project,' he said. 'I didn't take any bribes. I'm not going on fishing trips. I'm not sailing around on a yacht. That's not what this is.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French June 9, 2025.
