Quebec Cybersecurity Ministry requested the project be halted five times

Quebec’s Ministry of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs (MCN) asked the province’s Health Department five times in 14 months to halt the digital transformation project for financial, procurement, and human resources management systems (SIFARH).

This is revealed in a letter written by MCN Deputy Minister Stéphane Le Bouyonnec, dated June 20, 2025, and addressed to Santé Québec CEO Geneviève Biron. This letter was uncovered by the Liberal Opposition on Thursday.

Le Bouyonnec points out in his letter that the SIFARH, announced in 2022 at a cost of $202 million, had a cost overrun of 112.9 per cent and a schedule overrun of 46.3 per cent as of March 2025.

He states that an initial warning was sent on July 26, 2024, to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MSSS), and that the Deputy Minister of Health, Daniel Paré, was copied.

He was asked to suspend the project, “considering that the initial parameters were not respected.”

Then, on Sept. 12, 2024, the then Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Éric Caire, recommended to his colleague at the Ministry of Health, Christian Dubé, that the SIFARH project be suspended pending an audit. Dubé refused.

In the fall of 2024, the MCN informed the MSSS that it was imposing a performance audit. The damning audit report was sent to Santé Québec, which had become responsible for the project, in February 2025.

On March 10, the new Minister of Cybersecurity and Digital Affairs, Gilles Bélanger, returned to the charge and asked Dubé to “jointly” and immediately demand the termination of the SIFARH project.

Santé Québec decided to split the project; however, the financial management and procurement component alone “now totals $280.8 million, an increase of 182 per cent since 2022,” Le Bouyonnec emphasized.

“Thus, this letter constitutes a negative recommendation. … You are reiterated to cancel the SIFARH project immediately, as initially recommended,” he concluded.

Santé Québec did not follow this recommendation and instead continued the project, convinced of the need to modernize the health network’s outdated IT systems.

On Thursday, Opposition parties lamented the fact that it took health authorities no less than 14 months to suspend SIFA, a decision announced by Santé Québec last week.

“For 14-15 months, all the smoke detectors have been going off in the building, but no one has gotten up or left,” protested Vincent Marissal, spokesperson for Québec solidaire in matters of health.

“Let’s wait until we have all the details before making a judgment,” replied Premier François Legault during Question Period. He reiterated that an investigation by the Autorité des marchés publics (AMP) is underway into SIFA.

CAQ refuses to summon Biron

Later, the Health and Social Services Committee, where the Coalition Avenir Québec holds the majority, refused to take up a mandate to shed light on the digital transformation underway in the healthcare system.

According to opposition members on this committee, the CAQ justified their refusal to hear Biron by echoing Legault’s argument that the project is on hold and the AMP is conducting an investigation.

“Quebecers would have expected their premier to take a step back and say, ‘Listen, we’re going to get to the bottom of this,’ but that’s not the case. He continues to hide information,” denounced Liberal health critic Marc Tanguay.

“The CAQ is misreading public opinion, which is fed up with cost overruns. What could have been a cleaning session at the dentist will turn into a very, very long root canal treatment,” added Marissal.

The Parti Québécois also expressed disappointment, though not much surprise, by the CAQ’s response. “There is currently a blatant lack of transparency and a lack of accountability,” lamented Joël Arseneau, MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

Marissal also promised to bring the matter to the Public Administration Committee (CAP), which could require Santé Québec to report back. The CAP had played an important role in the SAAQclic case.

The Opposition also hopes that the Auditor General will examine the digital transformation in healthcare.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews