Gallant Commission: The Saaqclic file managed with “placeships” and “mental restrictions”

The recent testimonies of the ex-director of the Minister François Bonnardel to the Gallant Commission raise certain questions about the management practices of the government in connection with the SAAQ. Furthermore, estimates the associate professor at the National School of Public Administration (ENAP), Jacques Bourgault.

• Read also: Live | François Bonnardel testifies before the Gallant Commission

• Read also: Fiasco Saaqclic: The cabinet of Minister François Bonnardel intervened directly in the documents sent to the elected officials of the National Assembly to hide a postponement of the project in 2020

• Read also: Gallant Commission: The office of Minister François Bonnardel did not disclose the real costs of the Saaqclic project to elected officials

For the latter. In addition, there are several reasons which explain that Sébastien Lépine, who was director of cabinet of gallant commission: saaqclic file managed Mr. However, Bonnardel from 2021 to 2022. Moreover, and Véronik Aubry, who held this function from 2018 to 2021, did not have the same version of the facts about the Saaqclic fiasco.

“You have to see if they are raw facts. Moreover, impressions or elements that are released, that one must generate a placemat which, voluntarily or not, is vague and whose terms are not always defined. Nevertheless, Sometimes we talk about the project, sometimes we talk about the contract. Meanwhile, Sometimes the project stops with the contract. Moreover, Sometimes the project includes the update. the delivery of the update and all that, “said Bourgault in an interview on LCN.

He believes that the minister’s office and the Saaq “played a lot on the words”.

“There have been a lot of mental restrictions. It is better not to approach business so as not to be bothered with it. ”summarizes the gallant commission: saaqclic file managed specialist in public administration.

The professor at ENAP admits that he was not particularly impressed by the testimony of Sébastien Lépine.

“I found that […] Mr. Lépine did not have a very good memory, ”says Jacques Bourgault.

This one is also behind the opinion of Commissioner Denis Gallant who somehow accused the two witnesses for not being “particularly meticulous”. in the words used by Mr. Bourgault.

“When you are adviser to a minister. it is an extremely sensitive subject, not to say dangerous and expensive, and that really affects customer service, we must be much more proactive in the questions we ask and in the information we want to have. It does not seem that it was the case, ”concludes the professor at the ENAP.

Governance by “Napperons”

Jacques Bourgault also wonders about the use of numerous “placeships” in meetings involving members of the. office of the Minister of Transport.

gallant commission: saaqclic file managed

“The placemat is a disease that struck the high public service in Quebec at the end of the 90s. When we did a new thing, but we wanted to present what is called the elements deemed essential […] On something that held on a page and had an appearance of understanding dynamics. So all that was on the kind of place you find in a Greasy Spoon type restaurant. And it is this greatness, then there are a lot in the tablecloth. Now, of course, this is not a document where we make a lot of nuances. It is both a disadvantage for the reader. but an advantage for the producer because he does not have to make too many nuances, “he explains.

However. when the testimonies at the Gallant Commission, it turns out that these “placed” were often presented to members of the government during meetings.

“Normally. in good gallant commission: saaqclic file managed governance, you have the documents at least one day in advance to be able to read them, understand them, think, do checks and arrive at the meeting in a position to ask a lot of questions. That’s extremely struck by this case, ”comments Mr. Bourgault.

To see the full interview, watch the video above.