Quebec health/financial system to cost $1 billion?

MONTREAL – Campaigning politicians blasted premier Christine Fréchette earlier this week, as a Radio-Canada report claimed a provincial IT project that aims to update and transform healthcare financial systems.

Despite obvious warnings and a call from officials not to proceed with the project, the Cabinet gave the green light on July 15 and put money back into the Financial and Procurement Information System (FIIS).

Radio-Canada got its hands on the confidential executive report of the department and the firms KPMG and MNP, produced in June, which identified serious flaws in the project and raised significant concerns.

“I think it’s a total disgrace what we’ve heard,” Liberal leader Charles Milliard told reporters earlier this week. Fréchette, the leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec party, did not immediately respond.

Radio-Canada, the French-language arm of the CBC, said despite obvious warnings and a call from officials not to proceed with the project, the Quebec Cabinet gave the green light on July 15 and put money back into the Financial and Procurement Information System (FIIS).

Radio-Canada got its hands on the confidential executive report of the department and the firms KPMG and MNP, produced in June, which identified serious flaws in the project and raised significant concerns.

The Finance and Procurement Information System is a new administrative management IT tool that is intended to replace 41 different solutions used by health institutions that are becoming obsolete.

LGS was awarded the contract, the same firm that was involved in the SAAQclic fiasco. It is a subsidiary of the American company IBM.

However, France-Élaine Duranceau (pictured), Quebec’s minister responsible for government administration and state efficiency, president of the treasury board, and minister of cybersecurity and digital technology pushed back against the criticism, arguing that the reported $1-billion figure does not reflect the actual approved cost of the project.

In a statement posted on social media, Duranceau said the project approved by cabinet carries a budget of $329.4 million and described the higher figure as a projection based on what she called “erroneous working assumptions.”