Official languages commissioner rebukes Air Canada CEO over English-only message
The watchdog said leaders should address Canadians in both official languages during emergencies after 2,425 complaints over Rousseau’s video.
- On Thursday, Official Languages Commissioner Kelly Burke rebuked outgoing Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for a condolence video delivered almost entirely in English after a fatal plane crash in New York earlier this year.
- Rousseau's message followed a March 22 crash involving an Air Canada regional jet at LaGuardia Airport, which killed two pilots and sent more than 40 people to the hospital.
- The video contained only two French words, "bonjour" and "merci," prompting 2,425 complaints to the Commissioner's office, including 98 filed after the March 31 financial year-end.
- Burke stated that bilingualism is an essential skill for leaders in politics, the federal public service, and the private sector, emphasizing that leaders must speak both official languages when addressing Canadians during crises.
- This incident marks the second major language controversy involving the executive; Air Canada previously announced that Rousseau would retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
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35 Articles
Le Journal de Montreal
Le Journal de QuebecCanada's leaders must speak in both official languages equally.
Official languages commissioner rebukes Air Canada CEO over English-only message
The commissioner of official languages of Canada is rebuking Air Canada's outgoing CEO for a condolence message he delivered almost entirely in English after a deadly plane crash in New York earlier this year.
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Kelly Burke, reserved a portion of her 2025-2026 report for the message of unilingual English condolences from Air Canada's former President and CEO, Michael Rousseau, on March 22, when two airline pilots died in a ground accident at La Guardia Airport in New York.
Air Canada CEO rebuked over lack of French in New York crash condolence message
The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada is rebuking Air Canada’s outgoing CEO for a condolence message he delivered almost entirely in English after a deadly plane crash in New York earlier this year.
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