The CEO of Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, will retire later this year after facing criticism for delivering a condolence message exclusively in English following a tragic incident at LaGuardia Airport that resulted in the deaths of two pilots. The announcement came through a statement from Air Canada, which revealed that Rousseau plans to step down by the end of the company's third quarter.
The backlash was swift as Rousseau faced intense scrutiny for not addressing the French-speaking community, particularly as one of the deceased pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. Rousseau later apologized for his oversight, admitting he struggled to express himself in French despite having taken lessons over the years.
In his retirement announcement, Rousseau stated, It has been my great honor to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organization. I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period.
Air Canada expressed gratitude for Rousseau's nearly two decades of strong leadership within the company, headquartered in Montreal. Notably, Rousseau's failure to communicate in French led to heavy criticism from prominent Canadian figures, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who expressed that Rousseau's English-only message lacked compassion. Quebec Premier François Legault also suggested that if Rousseau couldn't speak French, he should consider stepping down.
The controversy arose after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at LaGuardia airport, leading to the tragic deaths of pilots Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. Rousseau's subsequent video, which included English and French subtitles but lacked a French spoken portion, sparked further outcry, culminating in a summons to Ottawa by the official languages committee. In light of the backlash, Rousseau expressed deep regret for how his language abilities detracted attention from the grieving families of the victims and committed to continuing his efforts to learn French.
The backlash was swift as Rousseau faced intense scrutiny for not addressing the French-speaking community, particularly as one of the deceased pilots, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec. Rousseau later apologized for his oversight, admitting he struggled to express himself in French despite having taken lessons over the years.
In his retirement announcement, Rousseau stated, It has been my great honor to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organization. I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period.
Air Canada expressed gratitude for Rousseau's nearly two decades of strong leadership within the company, headquartered in Montreal. Notably, Rousseau's failure to communicate in French led to heavy criticism from prominent Canadian figures, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who expressed that Rousseau's English-only message lacked compassion. Quebec Premier François Legault also suggested that if Rousseau couldn't speak French, he should consider stepping down.
The controversy arose after an Air Canada plane collided with a fire truck shortly after landing at LaGuardia airport, leading to the tragic deaths of pilots Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. Rousseau's subsequent video, which included English and French subtitles but lacked a French spoken portion, sparked further outcry, culminating in a summons to Ottawa by the official languages committee. In light of the backlash, Rousseau expressed deep regret for how his language abilities detracted attention from the grieving families of the victims and committed to continuing his efforts to learn French.
