Quebec minister resigns in wake of SAAQclic fiasco
Éric Caire, the minister responsible for cybersecurity and digital technology, is stepping down. He defended his handling of the SAAQclic file, but says his only regret is not being 'suspicious' enough.
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Montreal Gazette
10 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Legault says he's energized by public's disapproval of CAQ government
Quebec Politics QUEBEC — Premier François Legault acknowledged Wednesday that the people are disappointed in his government, but insisted poor polling numbers inspire him to keep trying. There was also a slice of good news for the Coalition Avenir Québec government on Wednesday: the Moody's credit rating agency opted not to downgrade Quebec's rating despite the province's projected historic deficit of $13.6 billion for 2025-26. 'I am well aware that many Quebecers are disappointed in our government,' Legault said Wednesday as he arrived for his last in-person cabinet meeting before the summer. 'But for me, it gives me energy. It makes me want to fight during the year and a few months that remain (before the next election) to deliver still more results to Quebecers. 'In October 2026, it will be up to Quebecers to decide if they want to keep me or not.' Legault was reacting to a new Pallas Data/L'actualité/Qc125 poll showing the CAQ has placed third in voter support for the second time in two months. In the previous poll, done by Léger for Le Journal de Montréal in May, the CAQ was bleeding support to the benefit of the Parti Québécois. The Pallas Data poll is different because it shows the CAQ losing support to the Quebec Liberals and the party's new leader, Pablo Rodriguez, who was elected to the top job Saturday. The poll was conducted just after Rodriguez won the leadership over second-place Charles Milliard. According to the poll, the PQ still leads in voter intentions with 31 per cent, but the Liberals under Rodriguez are not far behind with 26 per cent, up four points from the previous Pallas poll in March. The CAQ has fallen to third place with 15 per cent, 11 points less than the Liberals. For the Liberals, this is the best poll they have had since 2022. The Quebec Conservatives are fourth with 14 per cent and Québec solidaire is at 12 per cent. The Pallas poll was conducted from June 14 to 16 and is based on a sample of 1,085 Quebecers. The poll comes as Rodriguez is to meet Thursday with the entire 19-member Liberal caucus for the first time as leader. He will hold an afternoon news conference after the meeting. Legault also got more bad news Wednesday: Quebec's anticorruption squad UPAC announced it conducted searches Wednesday of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec's headquarters in connection with the SAAQclic fiasco, which the Gallant inquiry is investigating. The CAQ government did, however, get one tidbit of good news as Quebec enters the summer holiday season: A second credit rating agency, Moody's, which is based in New York, has decided not to downgrade Quebec's credit rating. In a statement issued Wednesday, Moody's maintained the rating at Aa2 with a 'stable' perspective. 'The stable outlook reflects our forecast that risks to the province's budget and fiscal plan are broadly balanced,' Moody's says. 'Despite the widening deficits in the near term, driven by the economic uncertainty of U.S. trade tensions, we expect the province's strong fiscal management will mitigate risks where possible. 'While the debt and interest burdens will rise, we expect they will remain with levels recorded by the province of the past decade.' The Moody's decision to maintain Quebec's credit rating follows that of DBRS on June 9. DBRS decided to maintain Quebec's rating at AA (low) with a 'stable' perspective. The two contrast with a decision in April by S&P, which lowered Quebec's credit rating from AA- to A+. It was the first time in 30 years that Quebec's credit rating was lowered. The latest decision is 'a positive sign,' Finance Minister Eric Girard said Wednesday on his way into the cabinet meeting. 'If you look at Moody's, they took a long-term perspective. They recognized that the current situation is difficult, but they are more positive in the long term.' This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
Montreal Gazette
10 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
UPAC searches Quebec auto insurance board in connection with SAAQclic scandal
By La Presse Canadienne Quebec anticorruption police searched the headquarters of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec on Wednesday in connection with the SAAQclic scandal. 'We can confirm today that we are conducting a search in the SAAQclic case. We will not be giving any details about this in order to protect our investigation,' the Unité permanente anticorruption (UPAC) said in a statement to Presse Canadienne. 'Generally speaking, a search in a fraud or corruption investigation is used to obtain evidence that will allow us to confirm or deny the commission of wrongdoing. The seized documents must then be analyzed and may then require witness interviews.' Premier François Legault said Wednesday the situation at the SAAQ and recent testimony at the Gallant Commission investigating the SAAQclic scandal is 'worrying.' The premier continued to refuse to reiterate his confidence in SAAQ CEO Éric Ducharme. 'I think we have to wait for the final report,' Legault said. 'He hasn't given his testimony yet, so let's let him explain. What's important is to get to the bottom of things.' In a statement, the SAAQ said it is 'fully co-operating with the ongoing investigation and will not comment further in order to respect the work of the authorities and preserve the integrity of the process.' UPAC's search came as former SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais testified before the Gallant Commission. UPAC has been investigating SAAQclic since February. The pressure is mounting on Ducharme because of testimony before the Gallant Commission. In an open letter published in Le Soleil on Wednesday, he wrote: 'The investigation conducted by the Commission of Inquiry into the management of the modernization of the SAAQ's IT systems is a necessary step to provide a comprehensive assessment of our digital transition and its impact on our customers and partners. We reiterate our commitment to working with this body to complete the process and shed full light on past events.' Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault indicated that she had written to UPAC twice. 'I wanted to make them aware of the scandalous nature of everything that was being said and everything that appears to have happened at the SAAQ,' she said Wednesday. 'This morning, I see that they are operating at the SAAQ headquarters. So, seeing institutions doing their job is always reassuring.' This story was originally published June 18, 2025 at 11:06 AM.
Montreal Gazette
13 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
EMSB chair says Quebec's $510 million in cuts to schools will ‘destroy a generation'
Quebec school officials are warning of looming service cuts for elementary and high school students after Education Minister Bernard Drainville abruptly ordered last-minute budget cuts last week. English school boards and French school service centres say they must cut at least $510 million from their budgets. 'Based on preliminary assessments, all services will be affected by the cuts, and it will be impossible to fully maintain all services for students,' Dominique Robert, head of the Fédération des centres de services scolaires du Québec, told The Gazette. The FCSSQ represents French school service centres. The English Montreal School Board, Quebec's largest English board, echoed that view. For the EMSB, the cuts represent $20 million on an annual budget of $440 million, or 4.5 per cent, said EMSB chair Joe Ortona, who is also president of the Quebec English School Boards Association. 'Over 90 per cent of our budget goes to direct services and salaries,' he said in an interview. 'Even if we abolished every job in the head office, turned off the heating and electricity in all our schools, we wouldn't reach $20 million.' What the Coalition Avenir Québec government is asking for is 'impossible,' he said. 'They're essentially telling us to close schools, cut teachers, cut staff, have overcrowded classrooms, and just put the entire education system in disarray. It's indecent.' Drainville has a track record of dropping surprise funding cuts. Earlier this year, school boards and service centres were told to slash $200 million, Ortona said. He added: 'They are asking us to destroy a generation because they destroyed Quebec's finances.' In his 2025-26 budget, Quebec Finance Minister Eric Girard forecast a historic deficit of $13.6 billion. Ortona said the education cuts are an austerity measure fuelled by the fact that 'they're broke, and they don't know where to get money anymore.' 'They have to pay for their incompetence and their scandals — SAAQclic and everywhere else where they mismanaged money,' he said. SAAQclic is the glitch-plagued digital modernization of Quebec's auto insurance board that came in about $500 million over budget. A public inquiry is investigating what many have described as a fiasco. Robert of the FCSSQ said schools have limited budget flexibility. 'By mid-June, planning for the upcoming school year is already complete. Staffing plans have been adopted and school organization is nearly finalized.' Eighty per cent of a school service centre's budget is devoted to staff salaries, with the rest going to expenses such as electricity. 'School service centres have a legal obligation to educate, socialize and qualify all students in their territory,' Robert added. 'Unlike the health network, CEGEPs and universities, it is not possible to place students on a waiting list or cap admissions.' He acknowledged that Quebec's 'budgetary challenge is significant' and said the school network will work with the province to 'ensure that students receive a quality education.' The FCSSQ said the $510 million is only an estimate — the actual total could be even higher. The organization is working on a 'thorough and rigorous analysis' of the new budget guidelines that will be made public later this week. Drainville's office defended the budget plan, saying it marks a slowdown in spending growth, not cuts. The education budget has grown by 58 per cent since the CAQ took power in 2018, reaching $23.5 billion, said Antoine de la Durantaye, a spokesperson for the minister. 'The number of teachers and support staff has grown two to three times faster than student enrolment,' he said. 'We can't continue at this pace indefinitely — we must set targets.' Quebec says this year's education budget grew by $1.1 billion compared to last year, and staffing levels are expected to rise by two per cent to 152,500 full-time equivalents. 'This is not about cuts, but about a slower rate of budget growth,' de la Durantaye said. While acknowledging the transition may require tough choices, he said the minister is confident school officials will preserve direct services to students. Ortona described Drainville's characterization of the budget measures as 'misinformation.' 'It's a cut. They used to give us a full pie. Now they're giving us half. How is that not less of a pie?' Québec solidaire education critic Sol Zanetti also criticized the decision, estimating the cuts could amount to almost $1 billion. 'Forcing schools to cancel hiring by cutting nearly a billion dollars from education is completely absurd, especially amid a teacher and staff shortage,' Zanetti said. 'This has become a regrettable habit of the CAQ: announcing cuts when the National Assembly is closed (for the summer), to throw the system into chaos without having to answer to the public.' He said Premier François Legault's government has 'squandered Quebecers' tax dollars on failures like SAAQclic and Northvolt, and now they're asking the education system to pay the price.' Northvolt refers to an electric vehicle battery plant. The Legault government has confirmed that the $270 million it invested in Northvolt's Swedish parent company is now worthless. Zanetti said the education cuts will have an 'enormous social cost: fewer services for students, more dropouts, more inequality. The CAQ is creating an education crisis that will cost far more in the long run.' This story was originally published June 16, 2025 at 1:14 PM.
