Air Canada’s CEO is facing criticism and even calls to resign after he recorded a message about a fatal accident at New York’s La Guardia Airport only in English.
Canada has two national languages, English and French. But CEO Michael Rousseau spoke in English over English and French subtitles.
On Monday, the day after the Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck on a LaGuardia runway, Rousseau described “a somber day” at the company and offered condolences to the families involved.
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Pilot Antoine Forest, 30, and first officer Mackenzie Gunther, 24, died in the collision, and dozens of passengers and crew members were injured. The CBC reported that Forest was a French-speaking Canadian from Coteau-du-Lac, Quebec, southwest of Montreal.
Backlash from prime minister, others
Once run by the government, Air Canada is now a private company. However, as CNN wrote, by law it must offer services in both English and French.
The airline is headquartered in Montreal, where French is the official language.
Prime Minister Mark Carney was among those who rebuked Rousseau’s remarks.
“I’m very disappointed” in the unilingual address, Carney said, adding that Rousseau showed a lack of judgment and compassion.
The CBC reported that the Official Languages Committee arm of the Canadian government has summoned Rousseau to to Ottawa to explain himself. The committee reportedly received nearly 800 complaints about Rousseau’s remarks.
Bloc Quebecois Leader Yves-François Blanchet went a step further.
“In light of this sad and crude lack of respect toward the loved ones and family of the pilot from Coteau-du-Lac, Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer, the CEO of Air Canada must seriously ask himself whether he has not clearly disqualified himself for the position he holds,” Blanchet wrote on X.
The Quebec National Assembly also called for Rousseau’s resignation and demanded he be replaced with a CEO who has a sufficient grasp of the French language.
This is not the first time Rousseau’s lack of French fluency has spurred controversy. In 2021, The Wall Street Journal reported, he said that his time-consuming work schedule prevented from mastering the language. Later, a company official said Rousseau had started intensive training to learn it.
CEO apologizes
On Thursday, Rousseau apologized for his English-only speech.
“I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees,” he said in a statement.
“Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French,” he added. “I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.”
The statement was released in both English and French.
