Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire this year after his English-only crash message was criticized
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will leave later this year after being chastised for neglecting to speak French in a sympathy video following last week’s deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York, which killed two pilots.
Michael Rousseau notified the airline that he will leave by the end of the third quarter, Air Canada said in a statement on Monday.
Rousseau faced demands to quit after expressing his sorrow in English alone. Antoine Forest, a French-speaking pilot from Quebec, was among those killed.
He later apologised and admitted that, despite taking classes over the years, he was unable to express himself “adequately” in French, Canada’s official language.
Rousseau announced his retirement, stating that it has been an honour to work with Air Canada’s devoted and talented team and represent the organization. He plans to help the firm during this transition phase.
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In the same statement, Air Canada announced Rousseau’s departure “after nearly two decades of strong and dedicated leadership” with the airline, headquartered in Montreal.
Canadian lawmakers, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, attacked Rousseau’s English-only condolence video, claiming it demonstrated “a lack of compassion”
Quebec Premier François Legault suggested Rousseau should resign if he couldn’t speak French.
Legault praised Air Canada’s announcement and stated in an X Monday post that the incoming CEO should speak French as a “matter of respect for the employees, francophone customers, and all Quebecers”.
The sympathy video was produced after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport shortly after landing, killing Forest and another pilot, Mackenzie Gunther.
Rousseau expressed “deepest sorrow for everyone affected” in the video, which was shared on X and had English and French subtitles.
He was promptly chastised for neglecting to speak French in it, and was invited to Ottawa by Canada’s parliamentary committee on Official Languages to “explain himself” to MPs.
Rousseau later apologised in a written statement issued in both English and French, stating that his inability to speak French had “diverted attention” from the pilots’ grieving families and Air Canada employees.
He went on to say that his French remained poor “despite many lessons over the years”.
“I sincerely apologise for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve,” the man stated.
Rousseau, who lives in Montreal but is anglophone, has previously faced criticism for his French language skills, most recently shortly after being named CEO of Air Canada in 2021.
Rousseau apologised and promised to improve his French. Air Canada originated as a federal governmental organization and has been privately owned since 1988. However, it is subject to Canada’s Official Languages Act, and on-board announcements are made in both English and French.