Microsoft Outage Cripples SAAQ Cross Quebec Services
The major IT failure associated with Microsoft servers forced Société de L’Asurance Automobile du Québec (SAAQ) to shut down all its service centers the next day, triggering a wave of political censorship and public inconvenience.
The power outage began at 3pm on Tuesday, May 6, affecting a set of back-end servers necessary for various SAAQ operations, including its controversial online platform, Saaqccclic. While the SAAQCCLIC system itself is still “functional”, it is currently unavailable for users to access it. Also Read: EU Power Grid needs trillions of dollars in upgrades to avoid Spanish-style power outages
“It’s totally unacceptable, but it’s not Saaqccclic, it’s Microsoft.” Cybersecurity and Digital Economy Minister Gilles Bélanger said in a media magazine Wednesday morning, May 7 that Bélanger inherited Portfolio, inherited the resignation of Saaqcccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccccc
All SAAQ service centers were closed due to the interruption, except for those who conducted actual driving tests. SAAQ confirmed that it will be rescheduled “in the coming days” with other types of dates.
Quebec’s digital failure revolves around political rebound
Despite the government’s insistence that Microsoft is at fault, the incident quickly reignited the province’s broader digital infrastructure strategy, especially the SAAQCCLIC project, which surged at $500 million and caused widespread service disruptions in 2023.
“This is a crushing defeat!” Marc Tanguay, interim leader of the liberal opposition, said in a press conference on Wednesday. “When will the minister (Transportation Ministry, Genevieve Gilport) be in charge?”
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Quebec Solidaire MNA Guillaume Cliche-Rivard said the Quebec people “overtake hundreds of millions of dollars in projects that may not work,” and Parti Québécoismna Pascal Paradis called the situation “very embarrassing” the government. Paradis also highlighted the “real impact” on citizens and reiterated his party’s call for investigations into all provincial IT contracts.
Although the SAAQ outage is blamed on Microsoft, the incident is deepening public suspicion about digital governance and accountability in Quebec.
SAAQ promises to fix it, no personal data leaked
SAAQ confirmed in an official statement that the power outage was related to several Microsoft-managed servers that support the key service. “Our team and Microsoft’s team have been fully mobilized and worked tirelessly to resolve this issue as soon as possible,” the organization stressed.
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Importantly, SAAQ assured citizens that personal data was not damaged due to technical failures.
SAAQ spokesman Gino Desrosiers said customers who were cancelled will offer alternatives. “We will provide alternatives to minimize inconvenience to our customers,” Desrosiers told Radio-Canada Canada.
The board has not specified when to resume services or the root cause of Microsoft Server issues.
SAAQCCLIC is still under review
Since its troubled in 2023, the SAAQCCLIC platform aims to modernize how Quebecs interact with SAAQ and has suffered a series of setbacks since its troubled launch. Although Bélanger’s assertion that the platform itself does not blame the platform, the platform itself does not blame it, but the platform is still underlining the public’s compulsory for the government’s digital changes.
The public commissions asked are already studying SAAQCCLIC extensions, especially their massive cost overruns and availability issues. The current blackout is technically unrelated, but appears when Quebec’s digital ambitions are under the microscope.
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Despite continuing practical driving tests, all theoretical tests and in-person services are suspended indefinitely. SAAQ said it will provide updates immediately once the issue is resolved.
