Air Canada Chief To Step Down For Being Unable To Speak French

Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau will be stepping down later this year after he faced mockery for speaking English and not French while addressing the fatal LaGuardia airport crash. In a statement released on Monday (Mar 30), the airline said Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026. Until then, he will continue to lead the company and serve on the board of directors.

"The Board of Directors of Air Canada today announced that Michael Rousseau has informed the Board that he will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026," the airline said in a statement, adding: "Mr Rousseau will continue to lead the company and to serve on its Board until that time."

Rousseau and Air Canada were caught in the middle of a public relations nightmare in the aftermath of the fatal accident that led to the death of pilots Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. An Air Canada Jazz flight landed at LaGuardia Airport in New York and then collided with a fire truck on the runway.

In response to the tragedy, Air Canada posted a four-minute condolence video in which Rousseau spoke only two French words: bonjour and merci. Air Canada, the country's largest airline, is based in the majority French-speaking province of Quebec. Under Canada's Official Languages Act, which enshrines French as one of the country's two official languages, the airline is required to provide services in both English and French.

Even Air Canada's own policy requires all communications with the public to be made in both languages. However, Rousseau failed to turn up with a French speech, instantly drawing criticism from the public and political leaders.

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Rousseau Faces Criticism

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he was "very disappointed", adding that “we proudly live in a bilingual country, and companies like Air Canada, particularly, have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages”.

Industry minister Melanie Joly said Rousseau's message showed a "lack of empathy" while Yves-Francois Blanchet, the current leader of the federal Bloc Quebecois (BQ) party, said the video was "sad" and showed a "gross lack of respect for the loves ones and family".

As the controversy snowballed, Rousseau issued an apology, stating that despite his attempts, he had been unable to "express himself" in French.

"Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French," he said. "I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve," said Rousseau.