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Ottawa summons Air Canada CEO over English-only video after fatal plane crash
The Official Languages Committee voted unanimously to call Michael Rousseau to testify after his video.

Author of the article:Harry North
Published Mar 24, 2026 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 2 minute read

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau giving a speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in Montreal in 2021.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau giving a speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in Montreal in 2021. Photo by Mario Beauregard /The Canadian Press files
Air Canada’s chief executive, Michael Rousseau, is facing political backlash for speaking only in English in an update following the fatal crash of an Air Canada Express flight in New York.

Members of the House of Commons Official Languages Committee voted unanimously on Tuesday to summon Rousseau to testify. The motion calls for his appearance by May 1. Several MPs expressed their indignation at what they described as a failure to respect Canada’s bilingual character.


Rousseau appeared in a video message released Monday, a day after the crash at LaGuardia Airport, in which he said he was “deeply saddened” by the deaths of two pilots. The video, which ran about three minutes and 45 seconds, was delivered in English — aside from a “bonjour” at the beginning and “merci” at the end. Subtitles, however, were provided in both languages.



The crash had occurred Sunday night when a Jazz Aviation aircraft operating as an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport. More than 40 passengers and crew members were injured. The two pilots were killed.

Earlier Tuesday, federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon called the video message unacceptable, stressing that Air Canada has a legal obligation to communicate in both official languages under the Official Languages Act.

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet, meanwhile, said it called into question Rousseau’s leadership.

“In light of this sad and gross lack of respect towards the relatives and family of the pilot from Coteau-du-Lac, Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer, the head of Air Canada must seriously consider whether he has clearly disqualified himself from the position he holds,” he said.


The political reaction also extended to Quebec City, where Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s minister of the French language, described the message as “contemptuous” and “unacceptable.”

Air Canada since defended its chief executive, saying Rousseau still does not have sufficient fluency in French to deliver a message of that sensitivity.

“His ability to speak French does not allow him to convey such a sensitive message in that language as he would like,” the airline’s vice-president of communications told Le Devoir.

In 2021, Rousseau faced criticism after he gave a speech in Montreal mostly in English. That time, he pledged to improve his French.

He was appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada in February 2021.

Air Canada has yet to comment on Rousseau being summoned to testify.

With files from the Canadian Press
https://twitter.com/i/web/status/2036129588934254918
torontosun.com

Ottawa summons Air Canada CEO over English-only video after fatal plane crash

The Official Languages Committee voted unanimously to call Michael Rousseau to testify after his video.
torontosun.com torontosun.com
 
Ron in Regina

Ron in Regina

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In a statement late Tuesday, Air Canada said Rousseau used English to best express a sensitive message.

"Mr. Rousseau felt it was important to personally address our customers, our employees, and those of Jazz, their families, and all those affected in any way," the statement said, referring to Air Canada's regional partner, which operated the flight.

"He therefore recorded a message before leaving for the crash site," it said.

"Despite his efforts, his ability to speak French does not allow him to convey such a sensitive message as effectively as he would have liked in that language."

The statement added that any information about the collision Rousseau gave in the video was also posted online in both official languages.

What would the Carney have preferred with his virtue signalling? “Holy Losing Focus Of The Bigger Picture Le Batman!”
 
spaminator

spaminator

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'Can you redo that in English?': Air Canada CEO's 5-year struggle with French
Facing new criticism for not speaking French, Michael Rousseau's language woes started with a 2021 fumble at the Montreal chamber of commerce.

Author of the article:Jack Wilson
Published Mar 25, 2026 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 4 minute read

This week's criticism of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for not speaking French is only the latest episode in a series of similar controversies that have dogged him since he landed the top job in 2021. Above, Rousseau speaks to the Montreal chamber of commerce on Nov. 10, 2021.
This week's criticism of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for not speaking French is only the latest episode in a series of similar controversies that have dogged him since he landed the top job in 2021. Above, Rousseau speaks to the Montreal chamber of commerce on Nov. 10, 2021. Photo by Christinne Muschi /Bloomberg
When he opted to deliver an English-only response to Sunday’s fatal plane crash at LaGuardia Airport, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau once again appeared to anger just about everyone across the political spectrum.


Quebec Premier François Legault called for his resignation. Prime Minister Mark Carney accused him of “a lack of compassion.”


The federal Official Languages Committee voted to summon him to Ottawa, where MPs will question what several have described as his failure to respect official bilingualism.

But this is only the latest episode in a series of controversies that have called Rousseau’s respect for the French language into question. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

February 2021: The new CEO tells Legault he’ll learn French
Having worked as Air Canada’s chief financial officer since 2007, Rousseau was promoted to the airline’s top job in February 2021. Though he’d worked out of Air Canada’s Montreal headquarters for more than a decade at the time of his promotion, Rousseau has said he didn’t speak French.


According to Legault, the new CEO met with him that month, promising the premier that he would learn French.

November 2021: A unilingual speech in Montreal
In November 2021, Rousseau stepped up to the podium at an event hosted by Montreal’s chamber of commerce and delivered an address to Montreal’s business community that contained around 20 seconds of French.

The Journal de Montréal had caught wind of Rousseau’s plans for an English-only speech in advance, which reportedly prompted then-official languages commissioner Raymond Théberge to unsuccessfully plead with Air Canada for the CEO to revise his plans.

Following the speech, a reporter asked Rousseau how he could have lived in Montreal for 14 years without speaking French.


“Can you redo that in English?” Rousseau said.

The reporter then translated his question, to which Rousseau responded that his ability to live in the city without speaking French was “a testament to the city of Montreal.”

The largely unilingual speech and subsequent media scrum drew widespread condemnation.

“It’s inconceivable. It angers me,” Legault said of the comments.

Simon Jolin-Barrette, who was minister responsible for the French language at the time, said Rousseau had “insulted Quebecers” and accused him of a “lack of respect.”

More than 1,000 complaints flooded into the federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, and protesters rallied outside Air Canada’s Montreal office.

As his French-language skills became a subject of national discussion, Rousseau said he’d hired a private tutor for intensive French lessons.


March 2022: Rousseau struggles through a committee hearing
Rousseau’s next date with the federal Official Languages Committee will be the second time MPs have summoned the Air Canada CEO to Ottawa in the wake of a language controversy.

In March 2022, MPs hauled Rousseau in front of the committee to answer for his chamber of commerce speech.

“I regret the impact” on “employees who serve our clients in both official languages,” he told the committee during opening remarks in French.

But when MPs began grilling Rousseau in French, the CEO answered in English, prompting further criticism from MPs.

Rousseau told the committee at the time that he was studying French for 10 hours every week, but that it wasn’t yet good enough to use.


2023 to now: Rousseau ‘continues to act on his personal pledge to learn French’
Following the 2021 controversy, Air Canada began telling its shareholders that Rousseau was learning French.

“Six of the seven members of our executive committee are bilingual, and Mr. Rousseau has continued to act on his personal pledge to learn French,” the airline said in its March 2025 proxy circular, a document released to shareholders ahead of annual meetings.

The same text appears in both the 2023 and 2024 documents, though the 2023 document said that five of six executive committee members are bilingual.

March 2026: Responding to tragedy with French subtitles
On Sunday, an Air Canada plane flying from Montreal crashed at LaGuardia Airport in New York, killing two pilots, including a francophone Quebecer. In a recorded response to the tragedy, Rousseau offered two words in French: “bonjour” and “merci.”


Rousseau delivered the rest of the speech in English, though Air Canada subtitled the video in English and French.

As of Wednesday, the federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages said Rousseau’s speech had resulted in 795 complaints.

With backlash piling on, Air Canada has defended its CEO, telling Le Devoir that his ability in French “does not allow him to convey such a sensitive message in that language as he would like.”

Pascale Déry, now Quebec employment minister but once the media attachée who stood alongside Rousseau as he faced reporters’ questions following his 2021 speech, said she was “profoundly insulted” by his decision to deliver English-only remarks.

In 2021, “we really gave him the benefit of the doubt,” she said. But now, “the situation is clear,” she said. “He doesn’t want to learn French.”

With Gazette files.

jawilson@postmedia.com
torontosun.com

'Can you redo that in English?': Air Canada CEO's 5-year struggle with French

Facing new criticism for not speaking French, Michael Rousseau's language woes started with a 2021 fumble at the Montreal chamber of commerce.
torontosun.com torontosun.com
 
pgs

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spaminator said:
'Can you redo that in English?': Air Canada CEO's 5-year struggle with French
Facing new criticism for not speaking French, Michael Rousseau's language woes started with a 2021 fumble at the Montreal chamber of commerce.

Author of the article:Jack Wilson
Published Mar 25, 2026 • Last updated 10 hours ago • 4 minute read

This week's criticism of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for not speaking French is only the latest episode in a series of similar controversies that have dogged him since he landed the top job in 2021. Above, Rousseau speaks to the Montreal chamber of commerce on Nov. 10, 2021.
This week's criticism of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for not speaking French is only the latest episode in a series of similar controversies that have dogged him since he landed the top job in 2021. Above, Rousseau speaks to the Montreal chamber of commerce on Nov. 10, 2021. Photo by Christinne Muschi /Bloomberg
When he opted to deliver an English-only response to Sunday’s fatal plane crash at LaGuardia Airport, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau once again appeared to anger just about everyone across the political spectrum.


Quebec Premier François Legault called for his resignation. Prime Minister Mark Carney accused him of “a lack of compassion.”


The federal Official Languages Committee voted to summon him to Ottawa, where MPs will question what several have described as his failure to respect official bilingualism.

But this is only the latest episode in a series of controversies that have called Rousseau’s respect for the French language into question. Here’s a look at some of the highlights:

February 2021: The new CEO tells Legault he’ll learn French
Having worked as Air Canada’s chief financial officer since 2007, Rousseau was promoted to the airline’s top job in February 2021. Though he’d worked out of Air Canada’s Montreal headquarters for more than a decade at the time of his promotion, Rousseau has said he didn’t speak French.


According to Legault, the new CEO met with him that month, promising the premier that he would learn French.

November 2021: A unilingual speech in Montreal
In November 2021, Rousseau stepped up to the podium at an event hosted by Montreal’s chamber of commerce and delivered an address to Montreal’s business community that contained around 20 seconds of French.

The Journal de Montréal had caught wind of Rousseau’s plans for an English-only speech in advance, which reportedly prompted then-official languages commissioner Raymond Théberge to unsuccessfully plead with Air Canada for the CEO to revise his plans.

Following the speech, a reporter asked Rousseau how he could have lived in Montreal for 14 years without speaking French.


“Can you redo that in English?” Rousseau said.

The reporter then translated his question, to which Rousseau responded that his ability to live in the city without speaking French was “a testament to the city of Montreal.”

The largely unilingual speech and subsequent media scrum drew widespread condemnation.

“It’s inconceivable. It angers me,” Legault said of the comments.

Simon Jolin-Barrette, who was minister responsible for the French language at the time, said Rousseau had “insulted Quebecers” and accused him of a “lack of respect.”

More than 1,000 complaints flooded into the federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, and protesters rallied outside Air Canada’s Montreal office.

As his French-language skills became a subject of national discussion, Rousseau said he’d hired a private tutor for intensive French lessons.


March 2022: Rousseau struggles through a committee hearing
Rousseau’s next date with the federal Official Languages Committee will be the second time MPs have summoned the Air Canada CEO to Ottawa in the wake of a language controversy.

In March 2022, MPs hauled Rousseau in front of the committee to answer for his chamber of commerce speech.

“I regret the impact” on “employees who serve our clients in both official languages,” he told the committee during opening remarks in French.

But when MPs began grilling Rousseau in French, the CEO answered in English, prompting further criticism from MPs.

Rousseau told the committee at the time that he was studying French for 10 hours every week, but that it wasn’t yet good enough to use.


2023 to now: Rousseau ‘continues to act on his personal pledge to learn French’
Following the 2021 controversy, Air Canada began telling its shareholders that Rousseau was learning French.

“Six of the seven members of our executive committee are bilingual, and Mr. Rousseau has continued to act on his personal pledge to learn French,” the airline said in its March 2025 proxy circular, a document released to shareholders ahead of annual meetings.

The same text appears in both the 2023 and 2024 documents, though the 2023 document said that five of six executive committee members are bilingual.

March 2026: Responding to tragedy with French subtitles
On Sunday, an Air Canada plane flying from Montreal crashed at LaGuardia Airport in New York, killing two pilots, including a francophone Quebecer. In a recorded response to the tragedy, Rousseau offered two words in French: “bonjour” and “merci.”


Rousseau delivered the rest of the speech in English, though Air Canada subtitled the video in English and French.

As of Wednesday, the federal Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages said Rousseau’s speech had resulted in 795 complaints.

With backlash piling on, Air Canada has defended its CEO, telling Le Devoir that his ability in French “does not allow him to convey such a sensitive message in that language as he would like.”

Pascale Déry, now Quebec employment minister but once the media attachée who stood alongside Rousseau as he faced reporters’ questions following his 2021 speech, said she was “profoundly insulted” by his decision to deliver English-only remarks.

In 2021, “we really gave him the benefit of the doubt,” she said. But now, “the situation is clear,” she said. “He doesn’t want to learn French.”

With Gazette files.

jawilson@postmedia.com
torontosun.com

'Can you redo that in English?': Air Canada CEO's 5-year struggle with French

Facing new criticism for not speaking French, Michael Rousseau's language woes started with a 2021 fumble at the Montreal chamber of commerce.
torontosun.com torontosun.com
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Quebec legislature demands Air Canada CEO resign despite apology for English-only message
All the CAQ, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois MNAs present voted in favour of the motion.

Author of the article:philip Authier • Montreal Gazette
Published Mar 26, 2026 • Last updated 8 hours ago • 5 minute read

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau in a video statement posted March 23, 2026.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau in a video statement posted March 23, 2026. Air Canada via X
QUEBEC — The National Assembly has voted in favour of a motion calling for the resignation of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau, saying his inability to speak French shows a lack of respect for francophones all over Canada.


Dismissing a formal apology issued by Rousseau on Thursday as “too little, too late,” MNAs supported the motion pitched by the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s minister of the French language, Jean-François Roberge.


The vote was 92 in favour, none against. One MNA, Youri Chassin, the independent for the riding of Saint-Jérôme, abstained.

All the CAQ MNAs present voted in favour, along with MNAs from the Liberals, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois. The PQ’s votes in favour came as a surprise; earlier in the day, the party said it might abstain because the motion would change nothing.

On Monday, Rousseau shared an English-only message of condolences in the wake of Sunday night’s LaGuardia Airport runway collision between an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal, operated by Jazz Aviation, and an airport fire truck. Two pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, died in the crash in New York.


Thursday’s motion states the National Assembly “firmly denounces the lack of respect of Air Canada’s CEO toward the French language, Quebec families in mourning and all the francophones in the federation.”

It says this was not Rousseau’s first “insult” in terms of language matters, and notes that French is the only official language of Quebec.

It adds: “The National Assembly calls for the resignation of Michael Rousseau as CEO of Air Canada,” and demands the next CEO possess a sufficient mastery of the French language.

On Thursday, Air Canada again attempted to put a lid on the controversy, with Rousseau issuing an apology for his unilingual condolence video.

“I want to reiterate my deepest condolences to the families of the Jazz captain and first officer who tragically lost their lives, and recognize the profound impact this accident has had on our employees and customers,” Rousseau said.


“Air Canada is co-operating fully with U.S. and Canadian authorities in the investigation,” he said in a written statement published early Thursday in English and French.

“As president and chief executive officer of Air Canada, it is my duty to support those affected by this tragedy. 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, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days.

“Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French. I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.”


Rousseau’s apology came after the English-only statement of condolences he issued Monday following the crash that killed Forest, a francophone from Coteau-du-Lac, and co-pilot Gunther of Ontario.

Air Canada is subject to the provisions of Canada’s Official Languages Act. Rousseau’s unilingual statement drew criticism from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who described it as exhibiting a “lack of judgment, a lack of compassion.”

Meanwhile, the federal official languages committee voted to summon Rousseau to Ottawa, where MPs will question what several have described as his failure to respect official bilingualism.

As of Wednesday at 1 p.m., the commissioner of official languages had received 795 complaints about Rousseau’s video. By 8:30 a.m. Thursday, the number had risen to 1,565.


On Thursday, Rousseau’s apology fell on deaf ears in the Quebec legislature.

“It’s not enough,” Roberge said as he arrived for question period. “Michael Rousseau must resign. It’s the only honourable thing left for him to do. After all these years when he failed to learn French, he didn’t even have the decency to read a statement in French that someone else wrote.

“When it comes to sensitivity, he’s a repeat offender.”

Asked whether Ottawa is doing enough to encourage the departure of Rousseau, Roberge said clearly not.

“I think (Carney) needs to take a further step,” Roberge said.

“Michael Rousseau’s crocodile tears impress nobody,” added CAQ house leader Simon Jolin-Barrette.

He said he expects the two francophone members of Air Canada’s board of directors, Jean Marc Huot and Madeleine Paquin, to speak out.


Employment Minister Pascale Déry, who used to be Air Canada’s director of media relations under Rousseau’s leadership, had harsh words, calling on the airline’s board of directors to act.

“We went through this same crisis five years ago,” Déry told reporters. “He promised to learn French. He did not do it. I think today the question is not asking ourselves whether he will learn French or not. I think he just doesn’t want to learn French — that’s it.”

The opposition parties were all on board with the CAQ’s motion.

One day after Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard deplored the Rousseau video but did not go so far as to ask for Rousseau to step down, the party shifted positions and now called for the resignation.

Liberal house leader Marc Tanguay said the party changed its view after examining Rousseau’s apology, which it said was not good enough.


Noting that as a francophone he personally makes efforts to speak to the media in his second language, Tanguay said Rousseau has not evolved in any way.

“He is unable to justify his incapacity (to speak French),” Tanguay told reporters. “Enough is enough. He must resign.”

“I think Mr. Rousseau has been given many chances,” added Québec solidaire house leader Guillaume Cliche-Rivard. “For me, (the apology is) too little, too late. He’s not showing respect.”

Thursday morning, PQ MNA Joël Arseneau suggested his party would abstain from the vote on the motion calling for Rousseau to resign because all the indignation will change nothing.

“We have to stop playing in this same movie rerun,” Arseneau said.

But later, perhaps because Roberge criticized them, the PQ MNAs shifted gears and voted in favour.


Rousseau has found himself in the middle of language controversies before. In November 2021, he delivered an address to Montreal’s business community that contained around 20 seconds of French.

Following the speech, a reporter asked Rousseau how he could have lived in Montreal for 14 years without speaking French.

“Can you redo that in English?” Rousseau replied.

The reporter then translated his question, to which Rousseau responded that his ability to live in the city without speaking French was “a testament to the city of Montreal.”

pauthier@postmedia.com
globenewswire.com

Statement from Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada

MONTRÉAL, March 26, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A statement from Michael Rousseau, President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada. “I want to...
globenewswire.com globenewswire.com
torontosun.com

Quebec legislature demands Air Canada CEO resign over English-only message

All the CAQ, Liberal, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois MNAs present voted in favour of the motion.
torontosun.com torontosun.com
 
Ron in Regina

Ron in Regina

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Dixie Cup said:
Ya, it's more important that the CEO of a private company speak French than 2 people died & many more were injured. That's the kind of government we have - totally misses the point!!
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Ron in Regina said:
What would the Carney have preferred with his virtue signalling? “Holy Losing Focus Of The Bigger Picture Le Batman!”
Click to expand...
Yeah…wow, eh?
 
petros

petros

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Dixie Cup said:
Ya, it's more important that the CEO of a private company speak French than 2 people died & many more were injured. That's the kind of government we have - totally misses the point!!
Click to expand...
My TV had (don't have one any longer) closed caption in the language of your choice.

BTW did the Feds have someone doing it in sign?
 
T

Taxslave2

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Maybe they should start teaching English in schools in quebec so they can understand the rest of the country.
Or, they can just leave and take their share of the national debt with them.
 
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