The suspension of a large part of the services of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) has been giving many users serious headaches for the past few days. And it will take some getting used to: the situation should last until February 20, to allow the organization to migrate to a new system.
To implement its new “SAAQClic” platform, which will be “easier to use”, the company claims to have to “convert more than 10 billion pieces of data”, which will result in “a transition period” during which customers will have access to a limited number of services. This period began last Friday at 5 p.m. and must continue until January 19, inclusive.
Until then, “only certain services deemed essential will be accessible,” says spokesperson Anne-Marie Dussault Turcotte. Among them: checking the validity of a licence, replacing a lost or stolen licence, exchanging a foreign licence, checking the conformity of a road vehicle, booking practical driving tests or paying for the renewal of a driving licence, even a registration.
But above all, this transition represents above all a first test for Quebec. The new SAAQ platform will be integrated into the Government Authentication Service, which the government wants to gradually implement over the next few years to allow citizens to interact with all departments in the same place, in a secure manner.
Eventually, this service should replace clicSÉQUR. The Legault government plans to integrate several other ministerial bodies into it in 2023. In other words, other such transitions will inevitably occur this year.
Very real repercussions
Online, several citizens have deplored in recent days to come up against services “so congested” that it is no longer possible to carry out any action. Others lamented that the transition period is so long, even seeing it as a “sign of the inefficiency of the new system that will be implemented”. A reader also reported having a power of attorney in hand for the purchase of a snowmobile, which will expire before the end of the transition. However, this prevents him from proceeding.
By email, the SAAQ says it is “aware of the repercussions that the slowdown in our service delivery will have on our customers”. That said, “this is a necessary step in order to offer them services that are even better adapted to today’s reality”, insists the spokesperson, thanking users for “their patience, which helps us to implement this project.
In mid-January, SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais spoke of this transition period as an “important step” for his organization. This transformation will ultimately represent, he says, “a major improvement in the service offer”. “Our customers will enjoy more autonomy and time savings and they will have access to simplified online transactions”, he promised in particular.
In concrete terms, the new “SAAQClic” platform should make it possible to carry out several administrative requests which until now had to go through a physical office, with the aim of reducing waiting times and delays between each request.