Quebec government looking into ‘legal options’ against ‘SAAQ executives who lied’
Posted February 16, 2026 2:13 pm.
Last Updated February 16, 2026 5:53 pm.
Quebec’s premier says his government is looking into possible legal recourse against executives at the SAAQ, after a report found the auto insurance board knowingly lied to the province about cost overruns.
“I asked my team, including the team of civil servants, to look into the legal options available against the SAAQ executives who lied to our government,” Legault said.
The premier’s comments came just hours after the Gallant report on the SAAQclic fiasco was made public. It found the SAAQ “lied” to government authorities by providing them with “misleading” and “hypocritically reassuring” information to “conceal” the increased costs of the digital transformation.
“The Galant Commission report clearly demonstrates that for years, the management of the SAAQ lied to our government, which is very serious.”
While Quebec’s premier admits his government “could have been more cautious” in the face of admitted cost overruns, Legault says the province was kept in the dark about the total cost of the SAAQclic project until February 2025.
The report concluded the SAAQ provided the CAQ government in 2023 with some “reliable information” about cost overruns during the program’s implementation, however it did not provide “a complete history of the cost evolution.”
Premier Legault says that complete picture only came a year-and-a-half later.
“My government was never informed that the revised total cost of the SAAQClic project had reached $1.1 billion. We never received this information before the report in February 2025.”
Legault says his CAQ government was only aware the digital transformation’s cost had risen to $682 million — a three per cent increase from the estimated $660 million.
“There were all sorts of exchanges with some of our highest-ranking ministers, where the figure we received was $682 million,” he said. “So, $682 million included the revised cost with external firms and the revised internal cost.
“As I’ve said many times in the past, I’m not saying the government was perfect. Perhaps we could have been more cautious, we could have asked more questions. But one thing is clear now, and I’m still pleased with this conclusion: the report clearly shows that my government was never aware that the project had reached a revised total cost of $1.1 billion.”
Legault also took aim at the Liberal government of Philippe Couillard, under which the SAAQ selected the software to implement the SAAQclic platform in 2017.
“What we see in this contract is that the cost-sharing clauses were not in the SAAQ’s favour,” Legault said. “So when there were cost overruns, it was due to external firms. Therefore, the government had to pay out more. So the real management problem really began in 2017.”
Christine Fréchette, candidate for the CAQ leadership, also reacted online, saying if she became premier she would mandate legal action against anyone who failed in their legal obligations to taxpayers.
“The UPAC will continue its investigations, and if offences are established, the DPCP will be assigned the criminal aspect of the case. Accountability demands that wrongdoing not go unpunished,” Fréchette wrote on X.
