air canada It announced on Monday that its chief executive, Michael Rousseau, would resign later this year, sparking a backlash after he issued a condolence message in English only after the tragic death of two pilots in a collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
largest airline CanadaThe Montreal-based company in the largely French-speaking province of Quebec said Rousseau had informed the board of directors of his intention to retire at the end of the third quarter.
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Air Canada’s Wagen Sorensen issues statement
Vagn Sorenson, chairman of Air Canada’s board of directors, expressed gratitude for Rousseau’s extensive service as chief financial officer, deputy chief executive officer and ultimately chief executive officer.
“We are grateful for his steadfast leadership, not only in guiding our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges, but also in seizing opportunities such as the acquisition of Aeroplan, restoring the solvency of our pension plan, and advancing customer centricity and employee well-being priorities,” the chairman said, according to Bloomberg.
This is what Michael Rousseau said
Meanwhile, Rousseau said, “I am deeply honored to work alongside Air Canada’s dedicated and talented employees and to represent our outstanding organization.”
He further stated that he will support the company during this important transition phase.
Why was Rousseau criticized?
Rousseau faced backlash, including from prominent Canadian politicians, after commenting on last week’s tragic crash that killed two pilots after landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
After the incident, the CEO released a condolence video in English only, with French subtitles. One of the deceased pilots, Antoine Forest, was a French-speaking resident of Quebec, while his fellow pilot, Mackenzie Gunther, was an English speaker.
Canada is recognized as an officially bilingual country, with approximately 80% of the population in Quebec speaking French.
Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Rousseau had pledged to learn French when he was promoted to the airline’s top job in 2021 and urged the CEO to resign, Deutsche Welle reported. The Office of the Official Languages Commissioner has received numerous complaints about this situation.
Prime Minister Mark Carney also said France’s lack of information showed a lack of empathy and good judgement, claiming the public had every right to be “very disappointed”.
Rousseau expressed regret and said he was frustrated that his limited French “drove attention away from the profound grief experienced by grieving families.”
2021 events
Shortly after Rousseau was named CEO in 2021, he addressed Montreal business leaders primarily in English. After the incident, he expressed a sense of pride that he had lived in Montreal for more than a decade without speaking French, sparking outrage in Quebec even as he issued an apology.
