Montreal: Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada, has officially announced his retirement, effective in the third quarter of this year. This announcement comes after significant criticism regarding Rousseau’s use of only English in his condolences, stating only “bonjour” (hello) and “merci” (thank you) in French, during a video tribute to the Air Canada plane crash at LaGuardia International Airport in New York City on March 22nd. The crash resulted in the deaths of two Canadian pilots, one of whom was a French-speaking citizen from Quebec.
According to Thai News Agency, the families of the victims felt the video lacked respect and empathy, as one of the deceased pilots, Antoine Forrest, was a French-speaking Quebec, while Air Canada’s headquarters are located in Montreal, the capital of Quebec, a predominantly French-speaking region. Under Canadian law, airlines are required to provide service and communicate equally in both English and French.
Like Prime Minister Mark Carney and many Canadian politicians, the monolingual communication in a bilingual country like Canada was criticized as demonstrating a lack of judgment. Quebec Premier Fran§ois Legault even called for Rousseau’s resignation, stating that it was a grave disrespect to the family of the deceased pilot, who was Quebec.
This isn’t the first time Rousseau has been criticized for his use of the French language. In 2021, he apologized after giving a speech in Montreal that was almost entirely in English. He admitted at the time that he had lived in the city for over 10 years but didn’t speak French, and promised to learn more. However, this latest incident demonstrates that Rousseau still lacks the ability to communicate effectively.
However, Air Canada stated that Rousseau’s retirement at age 68 was part of a pre-planned succession strategy. The airline’s board is currently searching for a new CEO, with one of the key selection criteria being proficiency in French.