A raging furore over a lack of French-speaking skills by the chief executive of Air Canada has claimed Michael Rousseau his job after the veteran aviation executive announced he was quitting the highly sought-after role on Monday.
Rousseau has been under intense pressure for the past week after he was blasted by Francophone Canadians for recording a condolence video in the aftermath of the fatal crash of Air Canada flight AC-8646 in English only.
The video that led to Michael Rousseau's decision to retire.
The accident tragically killed the two pilots of the Air Canada Express regional jet, including Captain Antoine Fores, a native Quebecer and French speaker, after the cockpit was completely wiped out when the plane hit a fire truck, late on March 22.
Within hours of the crash at LaGuardia International Airport, Rousseau posted a roughly two and a half minute video expressing his condolences. He spoke entirely in English apart from starting the video by saying “Bonjour” and ending it by saying “Merci.”
Although the video was accompanied by French subtitles, Rousseau faced a fierce backlash over perceived lack of respect to the friends and family of Fores, with lawmakers in French-speaking Quebec demanding his termination and Prime Minister Mark Carney publicly rebuking Rousseau, saying he was “disappointed” in him.
Headquartered in Montreal, Air Canada is subject to Canada’s Official Languages Act, which means that it must serve passengers in both English and French.
There is a general acknowledgement that senior executives at the airline speak both English and French, but Rousseau’s lack of bilingualism has long been an issue.
Just months after taking the role of CEO at Air Canada in 2021, Rousseau was slammed for not speaking French at a business summit in Quebec. At the time, Rousseau promised to take French language classes to avoid any future embarrassment.
Last week, as Rousseau faced down calls for his resignation, he again apologized for his lack of French skills, saying that he had taken many classes over the last few years, but he still wasn’t confident enough to properly express himself in French.
Rousseau said only a few days ago: “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 his apology and apparent determination to remain in his role at Air Canada, the pressure on Rousseau has continued to mount.
On Monday, the airline announced that Rousseau now plans to retire in the third quarter of 2026. He will continue to lead the company until that time, pending a new chief executive being found to replace him.
In a short statement, Rousseau said on Monday:
“It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organization, including as chair of the Star Alliance chief executive board and on the board of directors of the International Air Transport Association.”
Rousseau added: “I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period.”
Air Canada’s chair of the board of directors, Vagn Sørensen, reeled off a long list of Rousseau’s achievements during his career at the airline, including “steering our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID and other challenges, but also in capturing opportunities such as the acquisition of Aeroplan, in restoring the solvency of our pension plans and in advancing customer centricity and employee well-being priorities.”
In January, Air Canada had already started to scope out possible replacements for Rousseau. It’s pretty clear that whoever succeeds him will need to have a very good grasp of the French language.
