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Quebec government reassigns head of auto insurance board amid scandal

QUÉBEC — The Quebec government has reassigned the president and CEO of the province's auto insurance board. Éric Ducharme's dismissal from the top job was confirmed by a government source who was not authorized to speak publicly.
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The headquarters of the Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) in Quebec City on Wednesday, June 18, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jacques Boissinot

QUÉBEC — The Quebec government has reassigned the president and CEO of the province's auto insurance board.

Éric Ducharme's dismissal from the top job was confirmed by a government source who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Ducharme was appointed to the position in April 2023 to restore order at the auto board, which has been in crisis since the disastrous rollout of its new online platform.

He is being dismissed in the middle of a public inquiry announced last spring after Quebec’s auditor general revealed cost overruns of at least $500 million in the creation of the platform.

Quebec's anticorruption squad conducted a search of the auto board's head office in June.

Premier François Legault has refused to publicly reiterate his confidence in Ducharme in recent months, but had suggested he would wait for the report from the public inquiry before taking any action.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2025.

The Canadian Press