Air Canada CEO will retire this year after criticism of his English-only condolence message
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire later this year after criticism over his English-only condolence message following this month’s deadly New York crash. The airline, based in French-speaking Quebec, said he will step down by the end of the third quarter.
Canada is officially bilingual, and Prime Minister Mark Carney said the message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others called for Rousseau to resign.
One of the pilots killed at LaGuardia, Antoine Forest, was a French-speaking Quebecer. Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck shortly after landing.
Rousseau, who has faced prior criticism for not speaking French, delivered his condolence video in English with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages received hundreds of complaints.
Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon thanked Rousseau and said the government will continue working with Air Canada to ensure safe, reliable, affordable, and bilingual service. Quebec Premier François Legault noted that Rousseau promised to learn French when he became president in February 2021.
Quebec’s identity has been contentious since the British took over New France in the 1760s. About 80% of Quebecers speak French.
