During the Gallant Commission’s investigation into the SAAQclic project, Alain Généreux, a former political advisor to the Minister of Transportation, raised concerns over the escalating costs. Généreux, who oversaw SAAQ matters in Minister François Bonnardel’s office from 2019 to 2022, revealed that the initial $458 million contract for the Quebec Automobile Insurance Board’s IT upgrade had significantly increased.
In 2020, Généreux was informed of a one-year delay in delivering the SAAQclic platform due to the pandemic. Despite this setback, SAAQ management assured him that the consortium’s contract would remain at $458 million. However, Généreux predicted “financial implications” for the Crown corporation.
By early 2021, Généreux discovered from an SAAQ management member that the project’s total cost was estimated at $630 million, encompassing both the contract and internal resources. Subsequently, during a meeting in February of the same year between Minister Bonnardel and SAAQ CEO Nathalie Tremblay, it was disclosed that the expenses had surged to $682 million with a projected profit margin of $10 million.
Expressing his suspicions during the meeting, Généreux recalled Minister Bonnardel’s directive to track the project closely. The revelation left the political advisor, who currently collaborates with Bonnardel in the Public Security Ministry, concerned.
The Auditor General anticipates that the SAAQclic project’s expenses will exceed $1.1 billion, surpassing the initial estimates by $500 million.
