SAAQclic fiasco: Gallant Commission report to be published Feb. 16

In exactly one week, on Monday, Feb. 16, Quebecers will be able to read the report of the Gallant Commission, which investigated the SAAQclic fiasco.

Judge Denis Gallant, who chaired the commission of inquiry, will appear before the media late that morning to present his findings and recommendations.

This report will be the result of the commission’s lengthy work, whose mandate was to uncover what may have caused cost overruns during the digital transformation of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), as well as the failed launch of the SAAQclic platform. Before its public presentation, it will be officially submitted to the government on Friday.

A few days before that, one of the architects of the SAAQ’s digital transformation will hold a press conference in Montreal.

The former vice president of information technology at the state-owned corporation, Karl Malenfant, will appear before the media on Wednesday, accompanied by his lawyer. He “wishes to provide an update on the SAAQclic case.”

“Mr. Malenfant will link the pieces of evidence together to demonstrate the consistency of the decisions made throughout the SAAQ’s transformation and also intends to revisit the findings of the Auditor General of Quebec (VGQ) and the work of the Commission, including Hydro-Québec,” said the law firm Jean-François Bertrand Avocats, which represents him, in a press release.

This invitation was sent approximately one hour after the Commission announced the presentation of the report.

Malenfant also plans to release on Wednesday “his sworn statement submitted to the Commission on January 21, which is his formal response to the notices of censure he has received.”

More than 130 witnesses — including including Premier François Legault and ministers Sonia LeBel, Éric Caire and Christian Dubé — were heard during the commission’s public hearings, which spanned 75 days. More than 200,000 documents were reviewed, 2,500 of which were submitted as evidence.

Daniel Tran, director of communications and governmental affairs at Casacom, says the much-awaited Gallant report is one for the history books.

“When we think about Quebec history, the previous biggest candle was the Charbonneau Commission,” Tran said. “This is like at this level, this magnitude, and even greater.”

The report’s release has been postponed twice. Initially scheduled for Sept. 30, 2025, at the latest, the document’s publication was postponed to Dec. 15, 2025, then to Feb. 13, 2026.

The report is also set to be released as the CAQ is set to elect a new leader to replace outgoing-Premier François Legault who resigned in January following several months of bad approval ratings. Legault’s current term as premier has also been punctuated by high-profile scandals like SAAQclic, Northvolt.

Former cabinet ministers Bernard Drainville and Christine Frechette are in a head-to-head contest with the winner set to be chosen on April 12.

Tran says the Gallant Commission report will have an impact on the race.

“In this case, not only they have to run their own campaign, but at the same time,  with the results coming in from the Gallant Commission, all cards are on the table since they will have to position themselves to understand as much as possible what happened at the commission,” Tran said. “At the same time, make sure that they are on the right side of history and people who need to take responsibility do take them”

In his closing statement at the end of the hearings, Gallant assured that “no stone had been left unturned” during the process. “Nothing was left to chance,” he ruled.

The SAAQ’s failed digital transition is expected to cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion by 2027, which is $500 million more than anticipated, according to calculations by the Auditor General of Quebec.

Gallant’s recommendations must aim “to improve practices in order to prevent a situation” such as that experienced with the SAAQ from recurring.

–With files from The Canadian Press