The Mismanagement of the Société de l’Assurance Automobile du Québec and Its Effect on Quebecers

Viewpoint showing that the Quebec government should take a page from the Albertan approach to vehicle registration and drivers’ licences, which is both less expensive and more convenient for drivers

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Time to tow the SAAQ to the scrapyard (Montreal Gazette, February 19, 2026) SAAQ: les automobilistes québécois paient plus cher pour moins de services, selon l’IEDM (Le Journal de Montréal, February 19, 2026) Quebec drivers pay more for less service at SAAQ: MEI study (CityNews Montreal, February 20, 2026)	Interview (in French) with Gabriel Giguère (La commission, 98,5 FM, February 19, 2026) Interview (in French) with Gabriel Giguère (On en jase, BLVD 102,1, February 19, 2026) Interview with Gabriel Giguère (The Andrew Carter Show, CJAD 800, February 20, 2026)	Interview (in French) with Gabriel Giguère (Richard Martineau, QUB Radio, February 20, 2026)

This Viewpoint was prepared by Gabriel Giguère, Senior Policy Analyst at the MEI, and Gerard Lucyshyn, Senior Economist at the MEI. The MEI’s Regulation Series aims to examine the often unintended consequences for individuals and businesses of various laws and rules, in contrast with their stated goals.

Vehicle registration, including licence plates and drivers’ licences, is managed in Quebec by the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ).(1) This crown corporation is responsible for one of the major public finance fiascos of the past decade in the province: the SAAQclic online portal.(2) But this is just the most extreme example demonstrating the incompetent management of the SAAQ, leaving Quebecers with higher vehicles registration costs and fewer service points.

Cost and Convenience: Quebec vs. Alberta

For purposes of illustration, let us compare costs in Quebec and in Alberta. Vehicle registration in Alberta costs $173 for two years, or $86.50 a year. This is close to 40% lower than in Quebec, where registration sets drivers back $142.35 for a single year(3) (see Figure 1).

Another difference between the two provinces is how often drivers need to renew their licenses. In Quebec, this is an annual process costing drivers $26.75 (excluding the insurance contribution, which varies depending on the number of demerit points a driver has accumulated).(4) In Alberta, drivers need only renew their licenses every five years, at an annualized cost of $19.60. The Albertan approach is thus both less expensive and more convenient for drivers.(5)

In addition to the significant gaps in terms of registration costs and renewal fees, there is also a big difference in the number of service points available to the public, which has an effect on convenience for drivers. There are 134 service points in Quebec (46 SAAQ public service centers and 88 agent service points) compared to 218 agent service points in Alberta. The difference is even more striking when looking at the ratio of service points per million registered vehicles, which is 22 for Quebec versus 59 for Alberta, nearly three times higher.(6) Alberta drivers thus enjoy more convenient access than Quebec drivers.

In addition, Alberta’s privately owned registry shops provide more than just motor vehicle and driver services. They also offer other services such as personal property searches and registration and land title searches.(7) This wider range of services, combined with a greater number of service points, better meets the needs of Albertans without the bureaucratic hurdles and headaches Quebecers face.

Bad Management on Display: SAAQclic

The poor management of the SAAQ received its clearest demonstration with the failures of the SAAQclic online portal project. For one thing, in a February 2025 report from the province’s Auditor General, SAAQclic was projected to cost $1.1 billion dollars, approximately $500 million dollars more than initially projected.(8) This additional spending will ultimately have to be paid for by drivers or taxpayers, or both.

Yet, cost overruns, as bad as they are, would be easier to swallow if the portal functioned smoothly. In reality, the SAAQclic portal has been a nightmare for users. After its launch in 2023, the number of complaints received by the SAAQ exploded to nearly 15,000, more than the previous five years combined.(9) In 2024, the latest year for which data is available, the SAAQ received more than 9,000 complaints, still an abnormally high number.(10)

These complaints are related to several issues, including problems accessing online services and waiting times for appointments.(11) The inability to log in with their ID numbers forced many users to visit a service centre in person, resulting in long lines at SAAQ offices.(12)

This mismanagement by SAAQ executives linked to SAAQclic prompted the Public Procurement Authority to take charge of the organization.(13)

Conclusion

The broader lesson is that it is difficult for the public sector to be a good manager, particularly due to the lack of incentives to control project costs and provide quality service.(14) This dynamic should prompt the Quebec government to undertake a major reform of the current SAAQ model.

The wider range of services available in Alberta, and the lower costs and easier access associated with vehicle registration, would be a good starting point for reform in Quebec. At the very least, the Albertan approach should inspire the Quebec government to rely more on private licensed agents, replacing the remaining 46 public services points in the province and encouraging more private registries to open. This would facilitate access to the services of the SAAQ, and provide increased convenience more broadly for Quebecers.