Auditor warned of SAAQclic disaster months before launch

A few months before the launch of the SAAQclic platform, “bugs” were piling up, according to a former internal auditor of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), who predicted a rollout akin to the “Grands feux Loto-Québec.”

Former auditor and IT specialist Vincent Poirier began his testimony Wednesday afternoon before the Gallant Commission, which is investigating the SAAQ’s failures in its digital transition.

Poirier described the testing phase leading up to the launch of SAAQclic in February 2023. During the summer and fall of 2022, more than 100 “critical” anomalies were being detected daily. Development teams were resolving approximately 30 to 40 of these per day.

However, the “bugs” continued to accumulate, Poirier told Commissioner Denis Gallant.

“You have to understand that many were resolved, but many were also activated. The pool of unresolved anomalies, as I recall, stood at no fewer than 1,200,” he explained, referring to “unwanted behaviors that are detrimental to services.”

Despite ongoing difficulties, the green light was given to launch the system, thus ending the testing phase, said Poirier, who now works as a software architect at the Ministry of Public Security.

When asked by his internal audit supervisor how the deployment was shaping up, Poirier said he responded with a stark image: “We’re going to see the Grands feux Loto-Québec. It’s going to explode everywhere.”

“All the indicators led me to believe it wouldn’t work. I just couldn’t say to what extent,” said Poirier, who worked briefly at the CASA project office, which includes SAAQclic, before joining the internal audit team from 2021 to 2024.

The failed rollout of SAAQclic caused massive lineups at SAAQ branches. The technological modernization project is now projected to cost at least $1.1 billion by 2027—$500 million more than originally estimated, according to the Auditor General.

Poirier recalled meeting IT workers in fall 2022 who were “exhausted” or even “crying” from the overwhelming scale of the problems. His testimony is set to continue Thursday morning.

“History Is Proving Us Right”

Earlier Wednesday, Poirier’s former boss, Daniel Pelletier, concluded his own testimony before the commission. Pelletier, former director of internal audit at the SAAQ, offered several proposals to improve governance at the state-owned corporation.

One of his recommendations was to reduce the many responsibilities held by the vice-president of information technology (IT). At the time of his appointment, Karl Malenfant oversaw the CASA/SAAQclic IT project, along with responsibilities for human resources, material resources, and real estate—roles grouped together following a 2020 reorganization.

“That’s a lot—far too much—for one person,” said Pelletier.

He argued that some of these responsibilities are “incompatible,” and suggested that oversight of major projects like SAAQclic should be separated from the IT vice presidency to ensure more independence.

The retired accountant also proposed reforms to how members of the board of directors are appointed. He criticized the lack of receptiveness and occasional hostility shown by some directors toward internal auditors during the CASA project.

“We, the auditors, were their eyes and ears on the ground,” he said.

“As we speak, history is proving us right. To use a baseball analogy, we have a batting average of 1,000. Why didn’t the administrators listen? Why did we always have to fight to be heard?”

Pelletier previously revealed that his audit team had issued several warnings to the board about potential shortcomings and looming cost overruns prior to SAAQclic’s launch.

He called for a “much tighter” process for appointing board members, one not based solely on referrals, and advocated for greater independence for the internal audit department. Pelletier recommended that the head of internal audit report to the legal department rather than senior management.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews