More than a month after the Gallant Commission’s report was released, the idea of establishing a centralized entity specializing in the government’s digital transformation projects is still under consideration. According to experts, Quebec would be well advised to create such an organization to avoid another SAAQclic fiasco.
This is the flagship recommendation of the public inquiry commission on the failures of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s (SAAQ) IT modernization.
Creating a centralized entity specializing in digital transformation projects could, in particular, “significantly reduce dependence on external consultants,” argues Commissioner Denis Gallant in his report.
A committee overseeing the report, led by Treasury Board Chair France-Élaine Duranceau, is currently reviewing this recommendation along with the other 25.
“We are currently analyzing all the recommendations to determine the best way to act on them. Announcements will be made in due course,” Duranceau’s office told La Presse Canadienne this week.
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Creating a dedicated body for IT projects could mean additional expenses for the government. But it would still be “cheaper than the SAAQclic scandals,” argues Pierre-André Hudon, management professor at Université Laval.
“The return on investment is still significant in the sense that, if we can avoid cost overruns and better define our projects and needs, it won’t take long to recoup our investment with an initiative like this,” he says.
Stéfanie Vallée, a doctoral researcher in sustainable digital transformation at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, believes that “the lack of cross-functional coordination and consistency in the government’s digital transformation is costing us much more.” A new entity is “a must,” according to the specialist.
“We must not bury our heads in the sand and think that the status quo, with just a few minor changes, will do the trick. We really need to learn from other countries that have done this before us,” she says.
According to Justin Lawarée, a professor of digital management at the École nationale d’administration publique, this type of initiative can generate savings.
“In the long term, reorganizing our information governance more effectively will allow us, ultimately with the same budget, to undertake more digital projects and improve services to the public and the efficiency of the administration,” he said.
Quebec already relies on the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs and the Quebec Centre of Digital Excellence, which have mandates to support or monitor the government’s IT projects.
However, these bodies “suffer from certain limitations,” the Gallant report notes.
The proposed new entity would, in particular, be responsible for providing advice at key junctures in the implementation of a large-scale project. Ministries and agencies would remain responsible for the planning, implementation, and deployment of a digital project.
Luc Bégin, Chair of the Commission on Ethics in Science and Technology (CEST), finds the type of structure proposed by Judge Gallant to be interesting.
“The entity in question would ensure consistency, oversight, and support, but ultimately, ministries and agencies would be required to seek its advice,” he explains.
According to the Gallant report, the SAAQ “would have benefited from independent expert advice” at several key stages of its project.
The commission of inquiry’s flagship recommendation partly reflects the content of a 2023 CEST opinion on the digital transformation of the healthcare network with a view to integrating artificial intelligence. It noted that the Auditor General and the Anti-Corruption Commissioner emphasized in 2015 the “need to increase internal expertise” in information technology (IT) for government departments and agencies.
Bégin believes it is “abnormal” that design, requirements development, and follow-up work should essentially fall to private firms in a field as critical as IT.
“Having cutting-edge expertise within our public administrations means equipping ourselves to preserve a degree of autonomy and avoid dependency,” argues the president of the CEST, whose mandate is to advise the Government of Quebec on all matters related to ethical issues in science and technology.
Hudon believes that this potential agency should be tasked with helping government departments and agencies clearly define their needs and draft contracts.
Testifying before the Gallant Commission last October, he suggested a “Quebec Information Technology Corporation,” which would have in-depth knowledge of the various players and how they operate, as well as market price levels.
“There is a pressing need, as described in the commission’s report, to analyze requirements and understand the supplier market,” the professor noted in an interview with The Canadian Press.
In a brief submitted to the commission last fall, Vallée proposed a “Quebec Office for Sustainable Digital Transformation” modeled after the Office québécois de la langue française.
Following the example of what has been done in France or the United Kingdom, Quebec would benefit from having “an agency with regulatory powers, capable of imposing standards, conducting audits, and ensuring systemic accountability,” wrote Vallée.
This office would establish digital transformation mechanisms and standards in the same way that the OQLF does for the use of the French language by businesses and organizations in Quebec.
“A Quebec Office for Sustainable Digital Transformation would be able to attract talent eager to get involved in developing a roadmap,” Vallée said in an interview.
By drawing on a model of an organization already established in Quebec, the new structure is likely to encounter less resistance within the public service, suggests Vallée, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Technology, Sustainability, and Society.
Initially skeptical of the idea of creating a new structure, Lawarée now believes the initiative could be worthwhile if it adds “value” in terms of project quality and oversight.
“This entity must be capable of improving project quality. It must be able to challenge project leaders and service providers—particularly external ones—regarding their technologies,” he argues.
However, experts point out that the entity alone cannot completely overhaul IT project management.
Such an organization must be supported by other resources tasked with ensuring better management of IT infrastructure and monitoring technological developments, suggests Vallée.
Lawarée believes that government-wide changes are needed in the area of digital governance.
“If we don’t make some changes and clarify everyone’s roles and responsibilities a bit, I think (the new entity) would be like a ‘band-aid’ on a wooden leg,” he says.
“What the Gallant Commission really drives home is this: ‘It wasn’t the digital technology that was particularly expensive; it was the governance that was expensive,’” concludes Lawarée.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
