Canada

Air Canada CEO summoned to Ottawa over English-only condolence message after plane crash

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The Canadian Press

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Air Canada’s CEO Michael Rousseau has been summoned to explain himself regarding his English-only condolence message after the fatal plane crash in N.Y.

Air Canada’s chief executive officer was summoned on Tuesday to explain himself before the Committee on Official Languages regarding his English-only message of condolence to the families of the pilots, including one from Quebec, who died on Sunday evening in the plane collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

The statement provoked the committee’s “strong indignation” and is “incompatible with the obligations set out in the Official Languages Act and the expectations of the Canadian public,” according to the motion tabled in the House and adopted almost immediately by a unanimous vote of MPs.

CEO Michael Rousseau will therefore have to appear before MPs to “explain himself” for up to an hour by May 1 at the latest regarding his statement, which has now come under fire in Quebec City, Ottawa and on social media, and which had prompted 84 complaints received by the Commissioner of Official Languages by Tuesday afternoon.

During the second hour of the meeting, MPs will meet with experts who will help them identify solutions that would enable the government to act in such situations — a Conservative amendment was also adopted unanimously.

However, it was this very same committee that decided three years ago, during the review of the Official Languages Act, not to require the CEO of Air Canada, in particular, to speak and understand French, as the Quebec government had demanded.

Air Canada President and CEO addresses fatal LaGuardia crash in social media video Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau says ‘it’s a difficult day for everyone’ in a video posted to X.

Only the Bloc Québécois voted in favour.

Air Canada was a federal public corporation before being privatized in 1988. The agreement stipulated that the carrier would remain subject to the Official Languages Act.

‘A sad and crude lack of respect’

Discontent was already palpable among MPs from the start of the day, as Federal Transport Minister Steven MacKinnon deemed the unilingual video unacceptable.

“Air Canada knows better,” he said, pointing out in passing that Air Canada has a legal obligation to communicate in both official languages.

Moment of silence in Quebec for victims in Air Canada crash Members of Quebec's National Assembly observe a moment of silence for the victims of the deadly Air Canada crash at La Guardia Airport in New York.

Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet did not mince his words in a social media post.

“In light of this sad and gross lack of respect towards the loved ones and family of the pilot from Coteau-du-Lac, Antoine Forest, a French-speaking Quebecer, the head of Air Canada must ask himself very seriously whether he has not clearly disqualified himself for the position he holds,” he said.

In the video, which was posted on multiple social media platforms, Rousseau refers to a “very dark day” for the airline and says he is “deeply saddened” by the deaths of the two pilots.

In nearly four minutes, however, Rousseau utters just two words in French: a “bonjour” at the very beginning and a “merci” at the end.

Several comments written in both French and English argue that the CEO showed a lack of respect by choosing to speak only in English.

At the time of publication, the airline had not responded to a request for comment from The Canadian Press.

‘Contempt’

In the Quebec National Assembly, French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge did not mince his words.

“After all these years in Quebec and Montreal, I think this shows contempt on Mr. Rousseau’s part. It is unacceptable,” he said.

Parti Québécois MNA Pascal Bérubé echoed this sentiment, stating that Rousseau “lacks sensitivity.”

In his view, this is proof that, for Air Canada’s CEO, French is not a priority.

Several media outlets have identified one of the pilots as Antoine Forest, originally from Coteau-du-Lac in the Montérégie region. The other is believed to be Mackenzie Gunther, a graduate of Seneca Polytechnic in Toronto.

The aircraft, operated by Jazz Aviation, an Air Canada Express carrier, was arriving from Montreal.

It collided with a fire engine on the airport runway. More than 40 passengers and crew members were injured.

This is not the first time Rousseau has found himself in hot water over language issues, not to mention that his company regularly breaks the Official Languages Commissioner’s dismal records.

In 2021, the boss of the country’s largest airline caused an outcry after delivering a speech in Montreal that was largely in English. He had also boasted about having been able to work and live in Quebec for 14 years without having to learn French.

Rousseau apologized and stated that he did not wish to show disrespect towards Quebecers and the country’s French-speaking population. He also pledged to improve his French, but, three years after the controversy, he remained unable to answer questions in that language.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 24, 2026.