‘Let’s go burn some money’: Fréchette, CAQ under fire for yet another IT project’s reported ballooning costs

Another fiasco has hit the CAQ government, this time during the Quebec election campaign.

A Radio-Canada report has revealed Christine Fréchette’s government ignored an analysis that estimated a major Santé Québec IT project, known as SIFA, could cost $1 billion rather than the $96 million initially projected.

The analysis came from Quebec’s own Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology and two accounting firms, KPMG and MNP.

Party leaders on the campaign trail Monday were quick to pounce.

“It makes no sense,” said Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard. “This is 100 per cent Mrs. Fréchette’s decision.

“And they went again and again, like they did with SAAQclic, against advice or recommendations that they had from consultants that they actually paid.

“So they’re asking advice and then they’re saying, ‘no, thank you,’ putting that to the garbage and saying, ‘let’s go burn some money.’”

Ruba Ghazal, the co-leader of Québec solidaire, says Fréchette “should be ashamed” of the project’s updated cost.

“It’s her responsibility,” said Ghazal. “There was a lot of people inside of the Ministry of Digital Technology who told her to be careful. And she didn’t listen to them. And she decided to go forward and to give a go to this project. And it’s all the Quebecers who are paying for that.”

Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec, says, like “all taxpayers,” he is outraged by “another fiasco, another SAAQclic.”

“In fact, what is happening now is even worse than SAAQclic,” Duhaime said. “SAAQclic involved a $600 million cost overrun. Here, we are talking about an overrun of $900 million.”

A Parti Québécois candidate says while digital transformations are important for Quebec, the province “cannot achieve it by continuing on this same misguided path.”

“We are going to audit all ongoing IT projects to ensure that the needs analysis was properly conducted,” said Marie-Claude Sarrazin, the PQ candidate for Groulx, in an election promise.

Paul Brunet, the Chair of the Council for the Protection of Patients, described the ballooning costs as “something catastrophic.”

“I guess as a premier, she probably trusted people she shouldn’t have trusted,” Brunet said.

“According to the figures that are coming out, from 96 (million) to a billion, doesn’t make sense. This is so costly. I mean, we have problems having access to home care, to a CHSLD. In hospitals also, we have problems of better service, better care. We cut the private agencies to save money. And then we see this kind of behaviour.”

CityNews spoke to Montrealers who hoped this latest fiasco was the final nail in the CAQ’s coffin.

“I hope the CAQ gets voted out, because I feel they are overspending our money, and I think it makes absolutely no sense,” said Chantal Renaud.

“It’s always the same thing with them,” said Jean-Emile Beauciquot. “It’s always the same mistake. They make promises – they make promises to win us over – but it’s all nonsense.”

“It’s not the first time. It’s not the last time,” added Ghislain Simard. “All these people are not supposed to follow the law. They do what they like. And we are looking at, with a smile, we have no choice. And they play with our money.”

As leaders for each of the parties prepare for the first debate on Tuesday, a new Léger-Le Journal-TVA Nouvelles voter intention poll shows the Parti Québécois remaining in the lead with 29 per cent support; the Quebec Liberal Party jumping to second with 23 per cent; the CAQ dropping two points to third with 21 per cent; the Conservative Party of Quebec gaining two points to reach 17 per cent support; and Québec solidaire remaining in fifth at 10 per cent.