Memo to those who will drive the computer shift of the future Health Agency: look at what is happening at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) and do the opposite.
The SAAQ has brought together the three ingredients at the root of computer failures: a stripped public service, short-sighted management and a government that imposes too tight a schedule.
Like other government corporations, the SAAQ has its own management. When a problem arises, it is she who must explain herself first.
Ultimately, this directorate reports to the Minister of Transport, Geneviève Guilbault. Under ministerial responsibility, it must also be accountable. She therefore cut short her mission in Europe because of the crisis.
Its role is not only symbolic. It can put pressure on the SAAQ to find solutions and propose solutions itself. An example: offering a grace period to drivers whose license has expired and who cannot renew it because of the delays.
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Geneviève Guilbault, Minister of Transport
But the intervention of Mme Guilbault was also a public relations necessity. In the event of a crisis, some ministers hesitate to show themselves in front of the cameras if they have nothing to announce. The Prime Minister’s Office then pushes them in the back. When in doubt, better to be seen, and quickly.
Mme Guilbault, former spokesperson for the Coroner’s Office, did not need to be explained to him. But even if she personally handed out coffee to everyone in line, that wouldn’t solve the heart of the problem: the state doesn’t have the means for its IT ambitions. This is what made this crisis possible, and what could cause it in other ministries.
In the fall of 2021, the CAQ government officially created a Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital. Its holder, Éric Caire, promised to implement a “digital identity” from the following summer, which would replace ClicSÉQUR. This unique identifier should simplify and secure interactions with state service providers. It began to be used last year with daycare educators.
The next step was the SAAQ. On February 22, Mr. Cairo’s ministry was proud to highlight in a press release “the deployment of its new government authentication solution”. He is more discreet today.
Certainly, this operation is a colossal challenge because of problems that existed long before his arrival.
For many years, the State has been in need of IT specialists. This is one of the professions where the labor shortage is the most acute.
In 2021, the CAQ government extended 19 million to recruit computer scientists. But according to the Union of Public and Parapublic Service of Quebec (SFPPQ), there are about 1,000 missing.
The State must therefore resort to external subcontractors. The private sector does not only offer the solutions. It also helps to define needs, with the conflicts of interest that this entails.
One of the worst examples: the RENIR project, which must integrate the communications of the emergency services. Two decades after its launch, it is not finished. Consultants have been hired there at over $1,000 per hour, and at the current rate, it will be a few more years before their work is finished.
This dependence on the private sector has been denounced for years, and no government has succeeded in weaning itself from it.
This leads us to the SAAQ and its SAAQcliq platform, which was to use the new digital identity.
According to the union, nearly 200 private consultants work there. It’s half the team. Some of them were even established in India, which complicated communications because of the time difference.
Last year, the SAAQ published job offers that sounded like a cry for help: “Do you know SAP technology? A place awaits you at the SAAQ. »
The SAAQ felt it had to step on the accelerator so as not to displease the government, which for its part did not want to be criticized by the opposition.
The SAAQ did not stand out for its foresight. If she had a contingency plan, it doesn’t show. Hours of operation had not been extended, urgent cases were not prioritized and staff numbers were not significantly increased. Worse, it launched this system just before the spring break, when in some offices only half of the employees remained.
Was the failure foreseeable? Yes, replied two observers I spoke to yesterday.
The crisis should be over by May, says the SAAQ. However, this will not be the end of the story. The next step: the expansion of digital identity and ongoing IT modernization projects, such as in health.
In the name of ministerial responsibility, it is normal that the CAQ government must also be accountable for what is happening at the SAAQ. But an even more important question should be asked, and it is for Éric Caire: what are you doing to prevent this crisis from happening again elsewhere?