The Quebec government has dismissed Éric Ducharme (main picture) as president and CEO of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ). His dismissal marks the latest development in a scandal that has engulfed the province’s auto insurance board for more than two years.
Ducharme’s reassignment was confirmed by a government source who was not authorized to speak publicly. The dismissal comes amid ongoing investigations into the disastrous rollout of SAAQclic, the SAAQ’s online platform that could cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion by 2027, according to an estimate revealed in the auditor general’s report published in February.
The SAAQclic platform launched in February 2023 promising to centralize most SAAQ services online, CBC reported. Instead, it created immediate chaos across Quebec.
Technical failures left drivers unable to access services, forcing frustrated customers to line up in the cold outside SAAQ offices for weeks. Some car dealers could not complete vehicle registrations, preventing them from delivering cars to customers.
Premier François Legault called the situation “unacceptable” and demanded immediate changes.
The scale of the debacle became clear in February 2025 when Quebec’s auditor general Guylaine Leclerc released a scathing report. The investigation revealed that the digitization effort would cost $1.1 billion by 2027—nearly double the original estimate.
The report found that SAAQ officials were aware of serious problems but proceeded with the launch anyway. Fewer than 80% of required tests had been completed, and the rushed deployment increased risks of fraud and errors.
Leclerc found the system put at risk personal details of 5.5 million drivers in the province.
The scandal has already claimed one cabinet minister. Éric Caire, Quebec’s minister responsible for cybersecurity and digital technology, resigned in March 2025 after facing intense criticism.
The Logic reported that documents revealed Caire knew about delays and cost overruns as early as June 2022, contradicting his claims of being unaware of the problems.
Transport minister Geneviève Guilbault accused SAAQ bureaucrats of deliberately misleading elected officials, calling the findings “outrageous.”
The unit conducted a search of the SAAQ’s head office and is asking anyone with relevant information to come forward.
A public inquiry led by Judge Denis Gallant began in April 2025, though it has faced controversy over potential conflicts of interest due to his past professional ties to Treasury board president Sonia LeBel.
Ducharme was appointed to lead the SAAQ in April 2023 specifically to restore order at the troubled agency. His dismissal comes just over a year before the next provincial election in October 2026.
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