Air Canada CEO steps down amid bilingual controversy

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau has announced that he will retire by the end of September.

Michael Rousseau

Rousseau is stepping down while mired in an uproar over the English-only condolence video he recorded after the March 22 fatal crash of an Air Canada Express flight at New York LaGuardia.

The regional jet collided with an airport fire truck that was crossing the runway. The two pilots, captain Antoine Forest and first officer Mackenzie Gunther, were killed. Forest hailed from the mostly French-speaking province of Quebec, and Air Canada is headquartered in Montreal. 

Rousseau's nearly four-minute condolence video was spoken in English with French subtitles, except that he used "bonjour" in the opening and concluded with "merci."

Criticism over not delivering the message in both French and English cascaded all the way to the Canadian capital of Ottawa. Prime minister Mark Carney said the video displayed a lack of compassion.

"We proudly live in a bilingual country, and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation," Carney said, according to a CBC report.

Members of Canada's Parliament also criticized Rousseau. And the Official Languages Committee of Canada's House of Commons summoned Rousseau to testify about the matter.

On March 26, Rousseau issued an apology, saying he was "deeply saddened" that his inability to speak French had diverted attention from the grief of the impacted families and Air Canada employees.

"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," he said. 

Air Canada's board said that it will search for Rousseau's replacement inside and outside the company.

"The board will consider a number of performance criteria in assessing candidates, including the ability to communicate in French," the statement said. 

Rousseau has been Air Canada's CEO since 2021. He joined the company's executive suite as CFO in 2007.