Legault's office was informed of potential SAAQ cost overruns in 2020, inquiry hears
Premier François Legault's office was informed in 2020 of a delay in the deployment of the SAAQclic platform and of a dispute with a consortium producing it that could lead to cost overruns.
Véronik Aubry, who served as Chief of Staff to former Transport Minister François Bonnardel from 2018 to 2021, testified Wednesday afternoon before the Gallant Commission.
Following a meeting in July 2020 with the then CEO of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), Nathalie Tremblay, Aubry said she met with a political adviser in the premier's office, Ariane Gauthier.
Aubry said she updated her on the latest developments related to the SAAQ's digital shift. The platform's deployment was delayed by one year.
'I remember mentioning the project's postponement to two people: Ariane at the premier's office. However, I assured her regarding costs that, for now, we were still in the same scenario of $458 million,' said Aubry.
Did she provide the 'nuance' that a dispute was ongoing between the SAAQ and the consortium, and that this could have 'financial implications?' asked commission counsel Mélanie Tremblay.
'I told Ms. Gauthier,' Aubry replied. She said she also informed someone in the office of the Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Eric Caire, about the timeline, but she believes she failed to mention the dispute and its possible financial impacts.
Legault has so far always pleaded ignorance surrounding the cost overruns related to the SAAQ's IT modernization project. The project is expected to cost at least $1.1 billion, $500 million more than expected, according to the Auditor General.
Legault's former right-hand man at the Conseil exécutif, Yves Ouellet, knew as early as Sept. 7, 2022, that SAAQclic's costs were exploding, according to testimony given by former SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais to the Gallant Commission in late spring.
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