SAAQclic Scandal: Timeline
Years of saga
Major crises
Investigations launched
Pre-Launch Phase (2015-2022)
2015
- February 2015: Quebec government approves the CASA digital transformation project, initially estimated at $200 million over 10 years.
- May 2015: SAAQ launches request for proposals (RFP) for the CASA program.
2017
- March 2017: Main contract enters into force.
- June 2017: LGS (IBM subsidiary) and SAP win a contract worth $458.4 million to deliver the CASA program.
- CGI/Oracle consortium offered $323.5 million (29% cheaper) but was eliminated before price envelopes were opened.
- Total 10-year program budget set at $638 million.
2019
- IBM Warning: IBM (LGS parent company) warns SAAQ that CASA is "too big, too much, too fast."
- December 2019: Livraison 1 (back office systems) delivered.
2020
- October 2020: SAAQ administrators informed of likely cost overruns.
- Confidential Settlement: SAAQ discovers 800,000+ hours of labor shortfall. Rather than publicly disclosing overruns, SAAQ settles privately:
- SAAQ reinjects $135 million
- LGS/SAP (the "Alliance") absorbs $70 million
- Karl Malenfant signs agreement on behalf of SAAQ
2022
- Throughout 2022: Multiple consulting firms issue written warnings about testing delays and quality issues creating significant risks.
- June 2022: Minister Éric Caire informed of cost increases.
- September 2022: Legault's chief of staff reportedly notified of $222 million shortfall.
- Pre-Election Period: A ministerial order allows SAAQ to split the $222 million overrun to avoid public disclosure before the provincial election.
Launch and Crisis (2023)
January 2023Crisis
- Pre-Launch: Nearly 20% of final integration tests not completed.
- SAAQ services shut down for 3 weeks to prepare for launch, creating backlog of 430,000 unprocessed transactions.
February 2023Crisis
February 20, 2023: SAAQclic launches — immediate and widespread failures:
- Server overloads prevent access
- Transactions fail or are interrupted
- Authentication system requires multiple ID numbers, frustrating users
- Citizens line up for hours in freezing temperatures outside SAAQ offices
- Car dealers cannot complete vehicle registrations
Premier Legault's Reaction: Calls the situation "unacceptable" and demands change.
March-April 2023
Problems expected to take approximately 2 months to resolve. SAAQ estimates backlog will persist until end of April.
Investigation Phase (2024-2025)
2024
- November 2024: LGS wins two more contracts worth $110+ million for CASA program maintenance.
- December 2024: Transport Minister Guilbault emails Premier Legault suggesting SAAQ leadership should be replaced.
February 2025Crisis
February 20, 2025: Auditor General Guylaine Leclerc releases devastating report:
- Total costs now estimated at $1.1 billion minimum (up from $638 million)
- Information deliberately hidden from decision-makers
- Indicators manipulated to show false "green" status
- Tests incomplete before launch
"Not a success" in terms of costs, deadlines, or accountability
February 27, 2025: Minister Éric Caire resigns.
March 2025
- March 24, 2025: Government appoints Judge Denis Gallant as commissioner for public inquiry.
- UPAC (anti-corruption unit) confirms investigation opened after studying Auditor General's report.
April 2025
- April 10, 2025: Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) orders suspension of CASA contracts.
- April 24, 2025: Gallant Commission opens with Commissioner's statement.
- April 28, 2025: Public hearings begin.
May 2025
- Testimony reveals CGI offered 29% cheaper bid that was never considered.
- Former SAAQ employees testify about rigged selection processes.
June 2025Crisis
- June 5, 2025: UPAC confirms active investigation.
- June 18, 2025: UPAC raids SAAQ headquarters in Quebec City.
- Commission extended; final report now due December 15, 2025.
- AMP releases 51-page report concluding SAAQ undermined fair competition.
July 2025
SAAQ CEO Éric Ducharme reassigned.
September 2025Crisis
- September 2, 2025: Premier François Legault testifies at Gallant Commission.
- Testimony reveals Legault's office was informed of cost risks as early as 2020.
- Former CEO Nathalie Tremblay testifies, claims ignorance of Karl Malenfant's past failures at Hydro-Québec.
October 2025
October 24, 2025: Public hearings conclude.
Commission statistics:
- 75 days of hearings
- 131 witnesses heard
- 400,000 emails analyzed
- 300,000 documents reviewed
Commissioner Gallant: "All stones have been turned, as I promised."
November 2025
Commission costs revealed: $7,016,527 total
- Personnel: $4,785,709
- Online broadcasting: $1,198,705
December 2025
Report deadline extended again.
Report and Aftermath (2026)
January 2026
- SAAQ quietly suspends online appointment booking for 2 weeks (Dec 22 - Jan 4) due to technical problems, without public announcement.
- Technical issues continue.
February 2026New
February 8, 2026: Karl Malenfant holds a preemptive press conference and publishes a 112-page document titled "The Eight Pillars of Truth" to defend himself before the report's release.
February 16, 2026: Gallant Commission report is released — an 826-page report presented in Quebec City:
- SAAQ lied to parliamentarians, ministers, and their offices for nearly 10 years about project costs and progress
- Karl Malenfant particularly blamed — his "strong personality" sidelined internal controls, which were "discredited" or "undermined"
- SAAQ Board of Directors received sufficient information at critical moments but failed to act
- Premier Legault and Minister Guilbault largely cleared — informed too late (spring 2023), without historical context
- Former Minister Bonnardel "rather well" exonerated — only learned the full project cost ($682M) in winter 2021
- The program was "too large, too ambitious, developed too rapidly"
- First amendment intentionally set at $45.7M "to avoid publication"
- Program benefits were "melting like snow in the sun"
The report has major political implications ahead of the October 2026 provincial election.
For key figures involved, see Key Players