Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire at the end of the third quarter of 2026, the company announced this Monday (30). The announcement comes after the negative repercussion of the video tribute that Rousseau made for the company’s pilots who died in the accident with a fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, in New York.
Last week, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, an Air Canada pilot and co-pilot, died when their aircraft collided with a fire truck that crossed the runway during landing. After the accident, Air Canada published a video paying tribute to the professionals.
In the video, Michael Rousseau spoke for about four minutes in English and used just two words in French: bonjour e merci (“good morning” and “thank you”, respectively). The publication has subtitles in English and French.
The company leader’s lack of French vocabulary went down badly and generated numerous criticisms on social media and formal complaints — more than 2,000 in just a few days. Both English and French are official languages of Canada.
The fact that the CEO did not communicate in French was considered an aggravating factor for two main reasons. Firstly, because Antoine Forest, one of the victims, was French-speaking, as were most of the passengers who were on board the flight. Secondly, Air Canada’s headquarters are in the city of Montreal, in the province of Quebec, where French is predominant.
Additionally, Canada’s Official Languages Act and the airline’s own policies ensure that services and communications with the public are in both English and French.
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Rousseau’s exclusive speech in English was even targeted by the country’s Prime Minister, Mark Carney, who said he was “extremely disappointed”. According to him, not passing on the message in French demonstrated a “lack of compassion” for the victims of the accident.
Rousseau apologized
A few days after the video was published, Michael Rousseau issued a statement in which he apologized for not speaking in French. In the text, he stated that his “inability to speak French” had “diverted attention from the families’ deep sadness” and placed the focus on his language skills.
“Despite many classes over several years, unfortunately I still cannot express myself adequately in French,” he said. “I sincerely apologize for this, but I will continue to strive to improve”, added the CEO.
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This was not the first time that Rousseau was criticized for not speaking French. In 2021, he was reprimanded for giving a speech in Quebec entirely in English.
At the time, he said that the fact that he didn’t need to learn French was a “testimony to the quality of the city”. He also claimed that his schedule did not allow him to study the language, but he still promised that he would start studying it.
An Air Canada spokesperson said Michael Rousseau will continue to lead the company and serve on the board of directors until the end of his announced retirement period.
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