Gallant report: SAAQ apologizes, vows overhaul to regain public trust
Posted February 17, 2026 7:15 am.
Last Updated February 17, 2026 7:47 am.
The Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) issued a public apology and pledged a major restructuring effort after acknowledging failures tied to its troubled digital transformation, saying it is determined to rebuild citizens’ trust.
The statement followed the release Monday of a report by commissioner Denis Gallant, who led a public inquiry for nearly a year into problems surrounding the SAAQclic platform.
In his 586-page report, Gallant concluded, among other findings, that the SAAQ knowingly misled provincial authorities by providing information he described as misleading, deceptive and falsely reassuring in order to conceal rising costs linked to the digital transition.
In a statement Monday evening, the agency said it accepts the report’s conclusions and acknowledged that senior management failed in its duty to properly inform elected officials and the public about how the transformation project was being managed.
“The SAAQ wishes to offer its sincere apologies to all Quebecers for these failures, which contributed to undermining their confidence in public institutions,” the agency said.
The Crown corporation added it will fully cooperate with the government in implementing the report’s recommendations and noted steps have already been taken to improve governance.
SAAQ president and chief executive officer Serge Lamontagne, appointed in January, said the organization will turn recommendations into concrete action and spare no effort to do so.
Earlier Monday, Premier François Legault said he had asked his staff to examine whether legal action could be taken against SAAQ executives who allegedly misled the government.
Legault said his government was not informed before February 2025 that the project’s total cost would rise to $1.1 billion. Opposition parties, however, argued that some ministers had received warning signs much earlier.
Treasury Board President France-Élaine Duranceau is scheduled to hold a news conference Tuesday morning to respond to the commission’s report.
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
