Air Canada CEO will retire this year after his English-only crash message was criticized
ABC7 Chicago • • general
Key Points:
- Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau announced his retirement by the end of the third quarter following criticism over his English-only condolence message after a deadly New York crash involving the airline.
- The airline's bilingual Quebec base and Canada's official bilingual status intensified calls for Rousseau's resignation, with Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier François Legault emphasizing the need for a bilingual CEO.
- Rousseau faced backlash for not speaking French despite promising to learn it when appointed president in 2021, and his English-only message, subtitled in French, sparked hundreds of complaints to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.
- The crash that prompted the controversy killed two pilots, including Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer, highlighting the cultural sensitivity around language in Quebec and Canadian society.
- While some, like former minister Jason Kenney, argued that the CEO should prioritize safety over language skills, government officials pledged ongoing cooperation with Air Canada to maintain bilingual, reliable service.
