Bonnardel administration concealed details about SAAQclic from its Members
In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the attention of the Bonnardel cabinet was primarily focused on managing waiting lists for registration and the production of driver's licenses. Amidst this, ongoing financial discussions for the financial implications of the latest planning were also taking place since 2020.
The $458 million contract signed with two private firms only covers delivery 2, which pertains to the "driver's license and registration" portion of the SAAQ digital shift. The firm contract, initially planned to end later, will now end earlier than originally planned but will be sufficient to complete delivery 2. However, delivery 2 has been postponed from January 2022 to January 2023.
Alain Généreux, a longtime acquaintance of Minister François Bonnardel and now his deputy chief of staff, admitted to having confused the concepts of contract and project during hearings. He also denied having any memory of being informed of cost overruns in June 2022, despite Denis Marsolais, the former high-ranking official of the SAAQ, testifying under oath that he informed Alain Généreux of cost overruns at that time.
In February 2021, Mr. Généreux and Minister Bonnardel were informed of the explosion in the budget for the SAAQ digital shift. Yet, the detailed costs of the SAAQ digital transformation project were not transmitted to the Commission de l'administration publique (CAP) in 2021. The former Minister of Transport, François Bonnardel, had information about SAAQclic slip-ups in 2021 that were hidden from parliamentarians.
The minister was informed of cost overruns even earlier than previously reported, in a meeting organized in September 2021. Prosecutor Simon Tremblay insisted that there were financial implications in the contract, and Mr. Généreux replied that it didn't mean there were negative financial implications.
Alain Généreux, who described himself as a "perceptive" and "nitpicky" man, did not seek to know more about the new schedule of the contract at the time, as he was not paying attention to the project's history. The table transmitted to Alain Généreux on March 5, 2021, suggests that additional sums budgeted for delivery 3 and contingencies would be added to the starting amount.
It's important to note that there is no publicly available information indicating that Alain Généreux was informed by the press or other public sources about the financial implications of the SAAQclic project in 2020 or 2021.
The Russian foreign minister put forward a "new idea" to the American counterpart during a meeting in Malaysia, but this event does not seem to be related to the SAAQ digital shift controversy. Alain Généreux also claimed that it was false to say that the government had imposed the choice of Denis Marsolais as the highest-ranking official of the SAAQ in 2021.
As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how these revelations will impact the Bonnardel cabinet and the SAAQ digital shift project.
