Air Canada CEO regrets inability to speak French following fatal plane crash

CANADA, March 27 — Premier François Legault is being joined by Quebec politicians of various stripes in calling for Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to resign. The multi-partisan unity is in response to an English condolence video released by Air Canada after the fatal collision at New York's LaGuardia airport, which killed two pilots, including Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer. During Rousseau's four-minute video posted online , he spoke only two words in French: "Bonjour" and "Merci.

" In a statement late Tuesday, Air Canada said Rousseau chose to speak in English to ensure his message was received as clearly as possible given the emotional circumstances. "Mr. Rousseau felt it was important to personally address our customers, our employees, and those of Jazz, their families, and all those affected in any way.

He therefore recorded a message before leaving for the crash site," the statement read. "Despite his efforts, his ability to speak French does not allow him to convey such a sensitive message as effectively as he would have liked in that language. " On Thursday morning, Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s minister for the French language, tabled a motion at the National Assembly demanding Michael Rousseau's resignation.

It was adopted almost unanimously, with one abstention. On Thursday morning, Rousseau issued a statement reiterating his condolences to the victims' families and apologizing for not being able to express himself well in French. "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," he wrote.

"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. " In an email to Radio-Canada, the Commissioner of Official Languages confirmed it has received a total of 1,565 complaints as of 8:30 a.

m. on Thursday concerning the video message. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet said Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau 'doesn't have the requisite respect for Quebec society and all French Quebecers and French Canadians' to keep his job.

Rousseau is facing backlash after delivering a unilingual message about a collision involving an Air Canada Express passenger jet that killed both pilots — years after he said he was taking French lessons. This isn't the first time the committee has fielded complaints relating to Rousseau. In 2021, thousands were sent after he made a speech almost entirely in English to a business crowd in Montreal.

Rousseau admitted at the time that he'd lived in the city for 14 years without having to speak its majority language , and this was a "testament to the city of Montreal. " He blamed his work schedule for not allowing him the time to learn French. In response to the backlash he then faced, Rousseau wrote a letter to Air Canada's employees, in French, saying he had started courses with a private tutor.

"If he still doesn't speak French," Legault said Wednesday, "it's a lack of respect. " Rousseau has been summoned to Ottawa to explain why he spoke only in English in his video address. He was also summoned in 2022 for his English remarks .

An Air Canada spokesperson did not respond to whether or not Rousseau would remain in his post. On Thursday morning, Jean-François Roberge, Quebec’s minister for the French language, tabled a motion at the National Assembly demanding Rousseau's resignation. Members of all parties voted in favour of the motion, with only one abstention from MNA Youri Chassin, who sits as an independent.

The pressure is mounting on Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for not being able to speak French, with politicians at the National Assembly blasting his English-only response to this week's fatal plane crash in New York. The criticism has also expanded to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office and his speechwriting team. “It’s not the first time, it’s not the second time, it’s the minimum the third time.

Game over,” Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette told reporters at the National Assembly on Wednesday. The two contenders running to replace Legault as premier and leader of the Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) party also weighed in on the language controversy Wednesday . Bernard Drainville posted on X saying he agrees with the premier that Rousseau must resign.

His leadership rival, Christine Fréchette, initially expressed willingness to give Air Canada's board of directors up to a year to come up with a strategy for change. Two hours later, she changed her mind. "The board of directors must fulfill its responsibilities," Fréchette wrote on X .

"I no longer have any expectations of Mr. Rousseau himself. " "I therefore ask the board of directors to remove him from his position.

" Other Quebec party leaders joined the chorus calling for Rousseau's removal. Québec Solidaire co-spokesperson Ruba Ghazal said the fact that Rousseau “didn’t even make the effort to read a message, written by his team, in French” after one of his francophone employees died was disrespectful. She also s poke to the fact that immigrants to Quebec, like her parents, are asked to learn French six months after they arrive.

Yet Rousseau has lived in Quebec for much longer, she pointed out, and still hasn’t learned the language. She said “these two standards are unacceptable in our society. ” Quebec Liberal Party Leader Charles Milliard echoed that sentiment, acknowledging that it’s hard for immigrants to learn French in six months.

But Rousseau's time spent living in Quebec means “we could do better. ” Parti Québécois L eader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon made the case that this situation is further evidence of Quebec’s need to be independent. “To all the people who think there’s a legitimacy to have French as an official language and that companies should respect that, there is a solution," he said.