Quebec Premier François Legault has been called to testify next week at the Gallant commission, which is leading the public inquiry into the failed rollout of SAAQclic.
The commission says he is expected to testify on Sept. 2.
Martin Koskinen, the premier’s chief of staff, and Yves Ouellet, former secretary general and clerk of the Ministry of the Executive Council, are also expected to testify that day.
A spokesperson for the premier’s office had already told Radio-Canada that Legault would be ready to co-operate if the commission deemed his participation necessary.
Former cybersecurity minister Éric Caire testified Tuesday about SAAQclic, the digital platform that was supposed to streamline several processes conducted by Quebec’s automobile insurance board, known as the SAAQ.
The platform was launched in February 2023 with a $500-million cost overrun, according to a report published earlier this year by Quebec auditor general Guylaine Leclerc.
A week after the report, Caire stepped down from his role as cybersecurity minister, though he continued to defend his handling of the SAAQclic file.
On Tuesday, he said tracking government IT work before the creation of the Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology was difficult, with problems sometimes going undetected for years. When it comes to SAAQclic, he said buying off-the-shelf software rather than developing it in-house was where problems originated.
That’s because the off-the-shelf software was used in a way it wasn’t designed for, he explained.
Among those scheduled to testify this week are Health Minister Christian Dubé and Treasury Board President Sonia Lebel. Dubé held Lebel’s current role from 2018 to 2020.
Transport Minister Geneviève Guilbault and François Bonnardel, who preceded her in the role before becoming public security minister, concluded their testimonies last week.
Quebec’s former transport minister said he was kept in the dark about SAAQclic’s cost overrun. SAAQclic is the digital platform that was supposed to streamline several processes conducted by Quebec’s automobile insurance board, known as the SAAQ.