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"What we learned this morning is unacceptable,� the premier wrote Thursday in a post on X. “Quebecers must be confident that the whole truth will come to light."

The state-owned corporation has allegedly refused to make documents available on grounds of attorney-client privilege, La Presse first reported today. 

The corporation has been mired in controversy for months, after Quebec's auditor general found that its new online platform SAAQclic was expected to cost $500 million more than expected. 

The premier’s statement comes amid an active public inquiry into the cost overruns. On Thursday, the auto board also confirmed that three of its directors have left in recent weeks.

Stéphanie Desforges left on Aug. 8, Richard Gagnon on July 9, and Louise Turgeon on July 21, auto board spokesperson Simon-Pierre Poulin shared in an email.

"The SAAQ is going through a serious transition period, which may have led some members to re-evaluate their commitment. This type of turnover is common in any evolving organization," Poulin wrote.

That brings the total number of board members to twelve now, he added, in line with provincial legislation. 

"The SAAQ's governance remains strong and in line with best practices in the public sector,� Poulin wrote. “Members are not required to complete their term if they wish to leave early.�

On Thursday, Éric Ducharme, the former CEO of the auto board as of 2023, testified before the inquiry. 

He said back in 2020, when he sat as secretary on Quebec’s Treasury Board, he wasn’t that concerned by what was happening with the digital transition project. 

He said then-CEO Nathalie Trembley had said the situation was under control, in October of that year.

“As for the cost overruns, like I said before, we were in a pandemic, there was no project that didn’t have problems,� said Ducharme, who was dismissed by the government from the role in July.

He said he was only informed of the total cost of the project once he took over the auto insurance board in April 2023. It was then he learned of an additional $45 million added to the contract, signed in the fall of 2022. 

“I took a leap of faith on a lot of things,� Ducharme testified.

Parti Québécois leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said everything he’s witnessed so far leads him to believe this is likely a case of corruption. 

“It looks like corruption when we are talking about $1.2 billion in overbilling, and no one remembers anything,� he told reporters at the national assembly. 

This report by °µÍø½ûÇø was first published Aug. 28, 2025.