Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will leave his position by the end of the third quarter of 2026 after facing widespread criticism for delivering an English-only condolence video following a deadly plane crash in New York that killed a French-speaking Quebec pilot.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday that the message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec Premier François Legault called for Rousseau’s resignation, and the airline’s chief has been summoned to testify before Parliament’s official languages committee.
The controversy erupted after Rousseau posted a four-minute video online that contained only two French words — “bonjour” and “merci” — with the rest in English, accompanied by French subtitles. The video came days after an Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport on March 23, killing pilots Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer, and Mackenzie Gunther. Dozens of people were injured.
Air Canada, Canada’s largest airline, is headquartered in Montreal, where French is the primary language. Rousseau had previously been criticized for not speaking French. He joined the company in 2007 as chief financial officer, became deputy CEO in 2019, and CEO in 2021, and helped guide it through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the acquisition of Aeroplan.
“We proudly live in a bilingual country. There are two official languages here, and Air Canada has a special responsibility, whatever the situation, to communicate whatever the situation in both official languages,” Carney said, the Associated Press reported. “I am extremely disappointed by the message released by the CEO of Air Canada. It shows a lack of compassion, and we will be closely following his comments before the official languages committee as well as the comments coming from the board of Air Canada.”
Legault noted that Rousseau had promised to learn French when he was named president in February 2021.
“If he still doesn’t speak French today, it’s disrespectful to his employees and to his francophone customers, so yes, I think that if he doesn’t speak French, he should resign,” Legault said, per AP.
Federal Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet said the board should force Rousseau out.
“He should leave. He should acknowledge the fact that he doesn’t have the requisite respect for Quebec society,” he said, according to AP. “There is a limit to the number of insults that one is supposed to stand.”
Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said many victims and their families are francophones and described the video as lacking empathy.
“It is a question of moral leadership,” Joly said, AP reported.
Under pressure, Rousseau issued a public apology, saying his limitations in French had shifted attention away from the families and the airline’s employees, Merca2.0 reported.
In a statement about his departure, he added that “It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organization.”
Air Canada’s board said a global search for a successor is underway, with the ability to communicate in French now a key criterion. The company noted that Rousseau will remain in his role during the transition.
“On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to Air Canada as he progressed from Chief Financial Officer to Deputy Chief Executive Officer and then to CEO and Board member,” the board said in its announcement.
The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints about the video. Carney said Canadian officials continue to work with U.S. counterparts to investigate the crash.
