Hundreds of complaints a year for SAAQ: Quebec Ombudsman report

The Quebec Ombudsman has once again examined the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s (SAAQ) failed digital transformation. It notes that it has “still” received a large number of complaints, although fewer than last year.

On Thursday, Marc-André Dowd presented his 2024-2025 annual report to the National Assembly,

“One might have thought that, two years after the digital transformation, the situation would have stabilized and that citizens would finally have access to appropriate services. (…) In reality, the technological transition remains problematic,” says the report.

In 2024-2025, the Quebec Ombudsman received 569 complaints about the SAAQ, 30 per cent of which were found to be substantiated. Overall, across all categories, Dowd reported handling a record number of complaints—28,210—in the past year.

For example, it states, the SAAQ continued automatic withdrawals from a citizen who had sold her vehicle. When the funds in her account ran out, the SAAQ demanded the outstanding payments and administrative fees.

Recognizing the error, the citizen attempted to contact the SAAQ several times. Since she never got through, she asked the Quebec Ombudsman for help, who intervened, notably by canceling the amount she was claiming.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews