The CEO of the SAAQ alerted Minister Bonnardel's office that the explosion in SAAQclic costs was being hidden from him.

The former CEO of the SAAQ informed François Bonnardel's office that his vice-presidents were lying about SAAQclic's costs and that an extra $222 million would soon cause the bill to explode.

• Also read: UPAC conducts a search of the SAAQ headquarters, while former CEO Denis Marsolais testifies before the Gallant commission

• Also read: [TO SEE] SAAQclic fiasco: an auditor tearfully denounces the SAAQ's harmful culture

"I felt deeply uneasy," said Denis Marsolais, who headed the SAAQ from January 2022 to April 2023.

By June 2022, the SAAQclic project funds were almost exhausted.

The initial budget for the CASA/SAAQclic project was $680 million, including a $458 million framework contract with the Alliance, internal SAAQ resources and operating costs until 2027.

Senior management agreed that an additional $222 million would be needed to complete the digital transformation.

On June 8, 2022, the CEO and three vice-presidents met with Alain Généreux, the minister's political attaché, to review the project. A document was then presented, stating that a "contractual strategy" would allow work to continue within the $682 million budget. The $458 million contract was also presented as intact.

Denis Marsolais attended the meeting, led by VPs Karl Malenfant, Dave Leclerc and Francine Lepinay, knowing full well that the information being conveyed was false.

"It's tough," commented Commissioner Denis Gallant.

Private revelation

Uncomfortable, Marsolais requested a private meeting with Généreux to tell him the truth. "It was false, that's why I reacted," he declared under oath, admitting that the manner of "giving the truth" was perhaps "questionable."

He claims to have informed the government that costs would increase by $222 million to offset expenses related to litigation with the SAP-LGS Alliance. The firm was aware of this agreement, he said.

Minister François Bonnardel has always maintained that he was "deceived".

"We were lied to," said Minister Bonnardel, adding that the SAAQ had not presented him with cost overruns of this magnitude. "There weren't any! How do I protect myself against lies?"

In 2020, following this dispute, the SAAQ was required to reinvest $135 million to complete the project. Rather than request additional funding, it drew on the initial $458 million allocated for other aspects of the project. Once the funds were exhausted, SAAQ management now had to request new amounts.

SAAQclic is expected to cost taxpayers at least $1.1 billion, more than double the initial budget, according to the Auditor General of Quebec. Despite the lies and erroneous documents, no sanctions were imposed, Marsolais confirmed. "No heads rolled," he admitted to Commissioner Gallant.

Trust in Malenfant

Moreover, despite the financial signals and worrying tests, Marsolais believed in the success of SAAQclic. Karl Malenfant, the project manager, reassured everyone. He was even cited as an example by Pierre Rodrigue, head of government IT, and by the Treasury Board.

"The CASA/SAAQclic train has been running at full steam since 2014," he said. "Everything was already attached." He added that Malenfant "knew his case well" and was "a very intelligent person."

The indicators presented to the CEO were positive. "I didn't take a risk. I'm not the one connecting the wires," he said. "This didn't happen on the corner of a restaurant table."

Marsolais was in office during the failed rollout of SAAQclic. He was dismissed and then appointed president of the Office of Consumer Protection by the CAQ government in February 2024.