Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to retire after French backlash
Air Canada's CEO, Michael Rousseau, is set to retire by the end of the company's third quarter following backlash over his lack of French.
The issue blew up when he shared condolences for a tragic LaGuardia Airport crash only in English, later admitting his French was not strong enough to do both.
In a bilingual country like Canada, that did not sit well with many.
Official Languages Committee summons Michael Rousseau
Rousseau has been with Air Canada for nearly 20 years, but his French skills have been questioned since he took the top job in 2021.
Despite promising to improve, his recent admission led to more criticism and even a summons from Parliament's Official Languages Committee.
Political leaders were not impressed either: Mark Carney said it showed a lack of compassion, while Quebec Premier Francois Legault said Rousseau should step down if he could not speak French.