Toronto
Air Canada introduced Monday that its CEO will retire later this year, after Michael Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following this month’s deadly crash in New York.
Canada’s largest airline, based mostly in French-speaking Quebec, mentioned that Rousseau, 68, advised the board he will depart by the tip of the third quarter.
Canada is an formally bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney mentioned that Rousseau’s choice to retire is “appropriate.”
“It is essential that the next CEO of Air Canada is bilingual,” Carney mentioned.
Carney had mentioned the English-only message confirmed a scarcity of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others referred to as on the airline govt to resign.
”I salute the choice of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to step down from his place. The Air Canada board of administrators will have to make sure that the following CEO speaks French,” Quebec Premier François Legault mentioned in a press release.
Antoine Forest, one of many two pilots killed within the crash at LaGuardia Airport, was a French-speaking Quebecer. Forest and Mackenzie Gunther died when the Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway shortly after touchdown.
Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal. Rousseau beforehand had been criticized for not talking French. He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has obtained tons of of complaints about it.
Steven MacKinnon, Canada’s transport minister, thanked Rousseau in a social media submit and mentioned that the federal government will proceed to work carefully with Air Canada to make sure that it “provides safe, reliable, affordable, and bilingual service to all Canadians.”
Legault famous that when Rousseau was appointed president of the airline in February 2021, he promised to be taught French.
Quebec’s id has been contentious for the reason that 1760s, when the British accomplished their takeover of what was then referred to as New France. Quebec is about 80% French-speaking.
“Language is a highly political issue in Canada and the Air Canada leadership has been aware of that for a very long time,” mentioned Daniel Béland, a political science professor at McGill University in Montreal.
“The fact that Rousseau had promised to learn French back in 2021 but failed to deliver amidst his sky-high level of compensation did not help him in the court of public opinion.”
Jason Kenney, a former Conservative Cabinet minister, has mentioned that he would slightly the CEO of Canada’s flagship service focus his scarce time on security and reliability than language coaching.