Ex-minister tells Quebec auto board scandal inquiry he knew project was over budget

Former Quebec Minister Testifies About Over Budget IT Project

MONTRÉAL — Quebec’s former minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Technology, Éric Caire, has revealed that he was aware of the provincial auto insurance board’s digital transition project being over budget in 2021.

Caire made these revelations while testifying before the Gallant Commission, which is currently investigating the reasons behind the auto board’s online platform exceeding its budget by more than $500 million.

Email Exchange Raises Doubts

During his testimony, Caire was questioned about an email exchange from September 2021 with his chief of staff. In the email, Caire expressed skepticism that a lack of human resources could entirely explain the difficulties faced by the IT project known as CASA.

He admitted that he knew there were cost overruns with the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec’s IT project, but claimed that he was not fully aware of the extent of these overruns.

Resignation and Auditor General’s Report

In February, Caire resigned as minister following a damning report by the province’s auditor general. The report revealed cost overruns of over $500 million in the creation of the online platform, bringing the total cost to more than $1.1 billion.

Premier Legault to Testify

It has been announced that Premier François Legault is scheduled to testify at the inquiry next week, shedding further light on the circumstances surrounding the costly IT project.

This report by The Canadian Press was originally published on August 27, 2025.

Written by: Frédéric Lacroix-Couture, The Canadian Press