Quebec’s Transport Minister, Geneviève Guilbault has asked the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to suspend a new facial recognition project “until further notice,” following the chaotic rollout of its online portal.
SAAQ had recently undergone a digital transformation with the launch of SAAQclic, an online portal aimed at simplifying transactions such as license renewal, registration payments, and exam reservations. However, the project encountered severe issues with server overload, resulting in massive backlogs and long lines at service centres for weeks.
Citing these troubles, Guilbault took to Twitter to air her concerns about SAAQ implementing a new project amid ongoing service delays related to the SAAQclic platform.
“Modernizing public services is desirable, but given the challenges currently facing the @SAAQ, I have asked management to suspend all activities related to the implementation of a facial recognition solution until further notice,” she wrote in a tweet posted Tuesday.
The minister also sent a letter to SAAQ CEO Denis Marsolais conveying this request, according to a report by CTV News Montreal.
Speaking further on the matter, Guilbault told reporters that she would prefer to address the current situation with SAAQclic before moving forward with another project, emphasizing the need for SAAQ to regain control of its operations and planning to the satisfaction of the deputy premier of Quebec.
“For the moment I think we have our hands full with SAAQclic and company,” she said.
SAAQ’s facial recognition project was identified as a “project of government interest” in last month’s provincial budget. The goal of the initiative is to optimize SAAQ’s photo bank and prevent fraud with the use of biometric data.
Last month, Premier François Legault acknowledged that there had been a “serious gap in planning” regarding SAAQ’s digital transition and expressed his intention to evaluate the work performance of its leadership.
Similarly, Digital Minister Éric Caire admitted that the SAAQClic rollout was a “fiasco” that was hampered by poor public communication.
“Could we have prepared better? Could we have communicated better? Could the citizens have been better informed? The answer to that is yes,” the minister said. “In terms of execution, it was a fiasco.”
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