Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec
Société de l'assurance automobile du Québec

Policy on Privacy

This policy explains our practices with regard to the treatment of your personal information when you contact us by phone, by mail, and in our various services outlets, as well as when you use Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ) websites, including SAAQclic online services and certain online services outside SAAQclic.

  • Informational website: This site contains information regarding customer services involving driver’s licences, vehicle registration, traffic accidents and the transportation of goods and passengers. It also features certain online services outside SAAQclic (e.g. filing a claim for compensation, requesting a copy of a compensation file, changing an address, applying for an accessible parking permit, etc.).
  • SAAQclic services: The SAAQclic websites feature many online services regarding driver’s licences, vehicle registration, vehicles, driving records, state of health, etc. 

These websites must be used in compliance with the applicable laws, netiquette⁠ ⁠ and the SAAQclic conditions of use⁠ ⁠. We invite you to read these documents carefully before browsing.

When you use these sites, you acknowledge that you have read, understood and accepted the following terms of use and limits of liability.

If you have questions or comments regarding this policy, you can contact us at any time by secure email⁠ ⁠.

Protection of your personal information

To find out more about our governance practices with regard to personal information, read the document Politique sur l’accès aux documents de la Société et sur la protection des renseignements personnels⁠ ⁠ (in French only).

Gathering information

We gather your personal information when you contact us by phone, by mail or in one of our service outlets, or when you use our websites, including SAAQclic online services. We can also gather your personal information from third parties in situations set out in the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information (CQLR, chapter A-2.1).

We only gather information that is necessary for us to exercise our powers and apply the laws we administer, including:

  • the Automobile Insurance Act
  • the Act respecting the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec
  • the Highway Safety Code

This information allows us to:

  • contact you
  • process your applications for jobs we post
  • provide services and manage various programs regarding driver’s licences, vehicle registration, safety standards for road vehicles, traffic accidents involving automobiles, and monitoring and control over road transportation of goods and passengers (roadside inspections and facility audits)
  • ensure the continued efficiency and quality of our business practices
  • understand customer and candidate experience so that we can make these experiences positive
  • offer useful information and content and promote our programs and services
  • respect our legal and regulatory obligations
  • carry out audits, investigations and studies regarding all issues affecting the SAAQ’s mandates
  • detect and prevent any offences or crimes affecting the transportation of goods and passengers

Consequently, failing to provide this information may lead to delayed services or an inability to deliver the service.

Use of information

We use your personal information for the purposes indicated. However, we can use it for other purposes with your prior consent or, in some situations provided for under the law, without your consent.

We ensure that only authorized SAAQ personnel, agents and suppliers can access the personal information that is necessary for them to perform their duties or execute their mandates. We also implement policies, administrative guidelines, training and awareness activities for our authorized personnel to ensure that your personal information remains confidential.

Communication

We can share your personal information with third parties with your prior consent or, in some situations provided for under the law, without your consent. For example, your information is released to our authorized agents and to certain government departments or agencies. Personal information may also be disclosed as part of administrative or legal agreements, management mandates or on an ad hoc basis.

For more information, view the Registre des communications de renseignements⁠ ⁠ (in French only), which is an alphabetized index of the persons and agencies with whom we may share personal information, or who collect such information on our behalf.

Retention and destruction of information

We keep your personal information for the time necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, in compliance with the retention schedule that we adopted and that was approved by Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec. This retention schedule is necessary to allow us to meet certain legal and regulatory requirements, or to produce this information as evidence in the event that we are party to a claim or lawsuit.

Use of cookies

Cookies are small text files that are downloaded when you visit certain webpages and saved in the devices you use. The server sends this information to the browser while you are visiting the site or upon subsequent visits. Cookies are fragmented and cannot identify you directly.

Cookies are used to update and optimize our websites based on how they are used and the needs of users. On our websites, the two types of cookies described below are used.

Functionality cookies (mandatory)

These cookies are essential to the proper operation of our websites and can therefore not be deleted. They are generally set in response to actions you take and services you request, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or completing forms. You can configure your browser to block cookies or inform you that they are being used, but some parts of the website may stop working.

They allow you to:

  • use the main functions of the websites and secure your connection (e.g. access SAAQclic services);
  • access reserved and personal spaces on our websites, such as SAAQclic, based on identifiers or data that you have previously shared, and view the webpages correctly;
  • use security measures, for example, a requirement to log in again after a certain period of time to access content or a service.

The following information is normally collected:

  • the language used by the browser;
  • the type and version of the browser;
  • the type and version of the operating system;
  • the type and model of the device (phone, tablet or computer);
  • your activity (e.g. clicks, scrolling) on SAAQ websites;
  • your registration status for SAAQclic services;
  • the screen resolution of the device you are using.

Performance and analytics cookies (optional)

These cookies allow us to monitor how our websites are used and their performance, gather usage statistics and determine traffic volume and the frequency of use of various elements on our websites (content and sections visited, pathways). These elements allow us to improve the relevance and efficiency of our services in order to better meet your needs. If you block these cookies, the SAAQ will have less information to improve the performance of its websites and services.

Certain information is gathered and kept by third parties, such as Google, on servers that may be located outside of Canada, in particular the United States.

These third-party services may send the data to other parties when legally obligated or when those parties process data for their respective accounts (e.g. billing or data storage).

Configuration of cookies

You can configure cookie authorization using the window shown when each SAAQ webpage loads. We then save your choices regarding cookie authorization on a device for a maximum period of 12 months. After that period, we will ask for your consent again regarding the use of cookies and your preferences.

If you change your mind about your cookie preferences, you can update them at any time in your browser or device settings. Simply select the option Clear browsing data. Next time the page loads, you will be asked for your consent once again, and you can configure the cookies you wish to authorize.

Based on your browser or device, visit the following links to learn more about managing cookies :

Security and online services

We are committed to providing an online environment that is as secure as possible, enabling you to safely carry out operations with us across all our platforms.

For this purpose, we are implementing commonly recognized security standards to protect your personal information as long as we have it in our possession.

When we decide which measures to apply, we make sure that they are reasonable, given certain factors, including the sensitivity of the information in question and the context of its use.

The security measures we use fall into three broad categories :

  1. Technological security measures
  2. Physical security measures
  3. Organizational security measures

We periodically review these security measures to ensure that they are properly applied, that they remain fully efficient and that they are still appropriate considering the evolution of our systems and information technology.

We have also established procedures to detect and manage security incidents that may affect your personal information. SAAQ personnel is required to declare each incident, whether alleged or proven. If the incident may result in serious harm, it will also be immediately declared to the Commission d’accès à l’information, and anyone whose personal information may be affected by this incident will be notified.

SAAQclic services

Many of our online services are offered through SAAQclic. SAAQclic is protected by an SSL certificate and two-factor authentication, requiring users to enter a security code sent by email every time they log in.

SAAQclic is accessed through Québec’s Government Authentication Service and through ClicSÉQUR-Entreprises⁠ ⁠. To log in to SAAQclic and receive personalized SAAQ services, you must provide certain information to identify yourself and confirm your identity using the Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique’s Government Authentication Service. Otherwise, we will be unable to offer you those services. The SAAQ does not collect the information you share with that platform before logging in to SAAQclic.

Visit the Government Authentication Service webpage⁠ ⁠ to find out more.

Contact us securely

If you contact the SAAQ by email, you must use one of the methods listed on the  webpage.

The information on the SAAQclic websites and all correspondence is secured.

Access to or correction of information concerning you

In addition to the respect of the confidentiality of your personal information, you have certain rights under the Act respecting Access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information:

  • the right to access to information concerning you and your personal information;
  • the right to correct your personal information if it is incomplete, inaccurate or misleading, or if the collection, disclosure or retention of this information is not authorized by law.

To exercise your right to access or correct your personal information, you must file a written request by mail or fax with the person in charge of access to documents and the protection of personal information:

Nathalie Jacques, Attorney
Responsable de l’accès aux documents et de la protection des renseignements personnels
SAAQ
333, boulevard Jean-Lesage, N-6-45
Case postale 19600, succursale Terminus
Québec (Québec)  G1K 8J6

Telephone: 418-528-4338 or 1-866-302-7300
Fax: 418-528-6224

Decisions rendered by the person in charge of access to documents and the protection of personal information may be contested before the Commission d’accès à l’information⁠ ⁠.

Last update: September 19, 2023

For more information

Last update: July 17, 2024