New year's Eve, I don't make it to midnight and the late night shows any more; but I still enjoy
watching the French CBC's Bye Bye on the first. This year's was pretty brutal. I found one of
the sketches amusing, but realized I didn't really understand the political 'scandal' underpinning
it. Now I do. Below:
Copilot:
Government of Quebec; explain to me the SAAQclic project and the cost overrun problem...
Here’s a clear, structured, evidence‑based explanation of what SAAQclic was supposed to be, why it failed, and how the cost overruns spiralled, grounded in the sources you triggered.
🚗 What SAAQclic Was Supposed to Be
SAAQclic was the digital transformation project of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).
Its goal:
Replace aging IT systems
Move most SAAQ services online (licences, registrations, appointments, identity verification)
Reduce in‑person wait times
Modernize the SAAQ’s internal operations
In short, it was meant to be the SAAQ’s “big digital shift,” a modernization comparable to what Revenu Québec or RAMQ did years earlier.
💥 What Actually Happened
The launch in 2023 was a catastrophic failure:
The platform was unstable and slow
Identity verification systems didn’t work
Service counters were overwhelmed
Queues lasted hours or days
Many services simply became inaccessible
This triggered a public inquiry (the Gallant Commission) in 2025.
💸 The Cost Overrun Problem
The original budget was already large, but the inquiry revealed that the final cost will be far higher than expected.
Key findings from the inquiry:
The project could cost an additional $500 million beyond expectations.
The final tally could reach $1.1 billion by 2027.
The cost could be even higher if Quebec wants all originally planned services delivered.
Premier François Legault testified he was not informed of the overruns and said he should have been warned.
Why costs exploded:
Based on testimony and reporting:
Poor project management
Underestimation of complexity of replacing decades‑old systems
Inadequate oversight at multiple levels
Contracting and integration problems with external suppliers
Rushed launch despite internal warnings
Massive remediation costs after the failed rollout
This is a classic case of a digital transformation project where:
Legacy systems were deeply entangled
Requirements were unclear or shifting
Governance was weak
Political pressure accelerated the launch
🧩 Why This Matters for Quebec
The SAAQclic fiasco is now one of the largest digital‑government failures in Quebec’s history.
It raises questions about:
How Quebec manages major IT projects
Oversight mechanisms
Transparency between ministries, the SAAQ, and the premier’s office
The capacity of public institutions to modernize safely
The Gallant Commission is still unpacking responsibility and structural failures.
If you want, Louise…
I can also break this down into:
A timeline of the project
A root‑cause analysis (technical + organizational)
A comparison with other Quebec IT failures (e.g., Santé Québec, Phoenix at the federal level)
A model of how this should have been managed, based on best practices in large‑scale system modernization
Just tell me which angle you want to explore next.
What should such a modernization have cost?
Here’s the answer you’re really looking for, Louise: a realistic, evidence‑based price tag for a project like SAAQclic if it had been properly scoped, governed, and executed.
To ground this, I’ll use the numbers from the inquiry and the historical estimates in the sources you triggered.
🧮 1. What the initial expert estimates suggested
The Gallant Commission revealed that early internal estimates in 2014 put the modernization at about $278 million for the core ERP and system overhaul.
That number is extremely telling, because:
It was produced before political pressure distorted timelines
It reflected the cost of replacing the core systems, not the bloated later scope
It aligns with typical costs for similar government IT modernizations in Canada
This $278M figure is the closest thing we have to a “clean” baseline.
📊 2. What the official budget eventually became
The project was later budgeted at $638 million over 10 years.
This already included:
ERP acquisition
System integration
Online service portal
Internal modernization
Training and transition
Multi‑year maintenance
This $638M number is not absurd for a province‑wide digital transformation, but it’s on the high side.
💥 3. What it actually ballooned to
The inquiry heard that the final cost could reach $1.1 billion by 2027.
That’s nearly double the official budget.
🧠 4. So what should it have cost?
Let’s triangulate using the evidence:
Baseline technical modernization (ERP + core systems)
≈ $250M–$350M
This matches the 2014 estimate of $278M and is consistent with similar projects in Ontario, BC, and federal agencies.
Full digital service transformation (online portal + identity + integration)
≈ $150M–$250M
This is typical for a province‑wide citizen‑facing portal with secure identity verification.
Change management, training, and multi‑year transition
≈ $100M–$150M
Total realistic cost (if well‑managed)
👉 $500M–$700M
This aligns with:
The original $638M budget (which was reasonable)
The fact that the 2014 estimate was $278M for only the core
Comparable projects in other jurisdictions
🧩 5. Why the real cost exploded beyond the reasonable range
The inquiry and auditor general point to several structural failures:
Underestimated complexity of replacing 40‑year‑old systems
Poor governance and unclear accountability
Rushed launch despite internal warnings
Massive remediation costs after the failed rollout
Scope creep without proper cost controls
Vendor management issues
Lack of integration testing
These are classic drivers of runaway costs in public IT.
🎯 Final answer
If Quebec had run SAAQclic competently, transparently, and with proper governance, the project should have cost:
$500M–$700M total
—not the $1.1B now projected.
The original $638M budget was actually in the right ballpark.
The failure was not the ambition — it was the execution.
If you want, I can also break down:
A model of how Quebec should structure major IT projects
A comparison with the federal Phoenix payroll disaster
A timeline of where SAAQclic went off the rails
Just tell me which angle you want to explore next.
* * *
PS5 games; is it true one needs to go through a learning phase whne getting a new game. How is that fun?? How many hours does it take to explore a game world?
Here’s the honest truth, Louise: yes, every new PS5 game has a learning phase — but that phase isn’t a flaw, it’s part of the design philosophy of modern games. And depending on the type of player you are, it can feel either exhilarating… or mildly annoying.
Let me break it down in a way that respects your analytical brain and your love of understanding systems.
🎮 Why Games Have a “Learning Phase”
Most PS5 games are built like miniature ecosystems. They introduce:
New controls
New rules
New physics
New interfaces
New enemy behaviors
New resource systems
If you think about it, it’s not that different from learning a new tool in Python or a new workflow in Affinity Designer. The first 30–90 minutes are onboarding your brain to a new model.
But here’s the key:
Games try to make that learning phase feel like discovery, not homework.
Good games do this by:
Giving you small, satisfying wins early
Letting you experiment safely
Rewarding curiosity
Teaching through play instead of tutorials
It’s the same dopamine loop you get when a new piece of code finally runs smoothly or when a new kitchen technique clicks.
🕹️ “How is that fun?”
Because the learning is the fun — at least when it’s done well.
Humans enjoy:
Mastery
Pattern recognition
Predictability emerging from chaos
Feeling themselves improve
You, in particular, thrive on understanding systems and refining workflows. Games tap into that exact instinct.
The moment when the controls stop feeling foreign and start feeling natural is when the game world opens up and you feel powerful.
🌍 How Long Does It Take to Explore a Game World?
This varies wildly depending on the genre. Here’s a quick, clean breakdown:
f you want a game where the learning curve is gentle and the world is still rich, I can point you to some excellent options.
🎯 A question for you
What kind of experience do you want from a game?
A world to explore
A story to follow
A system to master
A relaxing, low-stress environment
A challenge that pushes you
Your answer will tell me exactly which PS5 games match your style — and which ones will feel like a chore.
If you want, I can even map game genres to your strengths the same way we’ve done with your coding and modeling workflows.
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