In an unprecedented development that has sent ripples through Quebec’s political landscape, Premier François Legault will be summoned to testify before the public inquiry examining the troubled launch of SAAQclic, the province’s digital vehicle registration system. This marks a rare instance of a sitting premier being called to account directly before an investigative body for a government technology failure.
The announcement came yesterday from Justice Lorne Giroux, who heads the inquiry investigating the February 2023 debacle that left thousands of Quebecers stranded in long lines and unable to access essential vehicle services. The digital portal, intended to streamline vehicle registration processes, instead created widespread chaos and public outrage when it launched.
“The premier’s testimony will be essential to understanding the decision-making processes that led to this implementation failure,” Justice Giroux stated during the procedural hearing. “We need to examine who knew what, when they knew it, and what actions were taken or not taken at the highest levels of government.”
The SAAQclic system, which cost taxpayers approximately $458 million to develop, was meant to modernize Quebec’s vehicle registration services. However, its problematic launch created a backlog of cases that took months to resolve, with some citizens reporting waiting up to eight hours in person at SAAQ offices when the online system failed to process their requests.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault, who bore much of the initial criticism for the fiasco, will also testify before the commission. Internal documents obtained by the inquiry reveal that multiple warnings about the system’s readiness were apparently ignored in the rush to launch.
“There appears to have been a significant disconnect between technical assessments and political decisions,” said technology governance expert Marie Lapointe from the University of Montreal. “The inquiry will need to determine if this was a case of failed oversight or political pressure overriding technical concerns.”
The inquiry has already heard testimony from several senior civil servants who described an atmosphere of “willful blindness” toward mounting evidence that the system was not ready for public deployment. Former SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais resigned shortly after the troubled launch, citing personal reasons.
Premier Legault, who initially downplayed the severity of the issues and characterized them as “teething problems,” has since acknowledged the implementation was “clearly mismanaged.” His office released a brief statement confirming he would cooperate fully with the inquiry but declined further comment on his upcoming testimony.
The public hearings have captured significant attention across Quebec, with citizens sharing their personal experiences with the system failure on social media under hashtags like #SAAQFiasco and #QuebecTechFail.
The inquiry’s mandate extends beyond merely identifying what went wrong to making recommendations for preventing similar technology implementation failures in future government initiatives. This broader focus is particularly relevant as Quebec continues to digitize other government services as part of its administrative modernization program.
Financial analysts watching the proceedings note that the SAAQclic debacle serves as a cautionary tale for other provinces undertaking similar digital transformations. “The financial implications extend far beyond the initial system cost,” noted economic analyst Jean Tremblay. “Lost productivity, emergency measures, and damaged public trust all contribute to the true price tag of this failure.”
As the inquiry moves into its critical phase with testimony from top officials, one question lingers in the minds of Quebec citizens: will this unprecedented examination of a government technology failure lead to meaningful accountability, or simply become another exercise in political damage control?
