A memorial is shown on Wednesday for Air Canada Jazz pilot Antoine Forest, who died when his plane collided with an emergency vehicle at New York's LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Amid calls for his ouster, Air Canada chief executive officer Michael Rousseau addressed the language controversy ignited by his English-only message of sympathy to those affected by the plane crash that killed two pilots Sunday night at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
In a statement released in both English and French on newswires early Thursday, Mr. Rousseau reiterated his condolences and said he is unhappy that his lack of French proficiency is proving to be a distraction.
“As president and chief executive officer of Air Canada, it is my duty to support those affected by this tragedy,” he said. “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.”
“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,” he said. “I want to reiterate my deepest condolences to the families of the Jazz captain and first officer who tragically lost their lives, and recognize the profound impact this accident has had on our employees and customers.”
Antoine Forest of Coteau-du-Lac, and Mackenzie Gunther of Ontario, were killed when their Air Canada Express CRJ 900 jet operated by Jazz Aviation hit a fire truck on the runway after landing. It was arriving from Montreal and carrying 72 passengers and four crew members.
Crews towed away the wreckage of the plane involved in Sunday’s deadly collision between an Air Canada plane and a fire truck off LaGuardia's runway Wednesday.
The Associated Press
Politicians in Quebec City and Ottawa – including Prime Minister Mark Carney – reacted with disappointment and outrage when Mr. Rousseau’s Monday video statement on the tragedy was delivered entirely in English. Among those calling for him to resign are Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet and Quebec Premier François Legault.
Pension fund giant Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, which holds Air Canada shares among assets under management of $517-billion, added its voice to the criticism of the CEO.
“There is no doubt that the video should have been in both official languages,” the Caisse said in an e-mailed statement Thursday.
John Gradek, a McGill University aviation lecturer, called the controversy a “tempest in a teapot.”
“We’re supposed to be focusing in on the accident and the loss of life of two of our youngest pilots,” Mr. Gradek said. “This kind of detracts from the conversation, unfortunately, but hey, welcome to politics in Canada in 2026.”
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Federal Parliament’s official languages committee asked Mr. Rousseau to appear before May 1 to explain himself.
Air Canada spokesman Christophe Hennebelle said Mr. Rousseau is not resigning.
“It’s important that he’s at the helm” at this time, he said on Wednesday. Air Canada is going through one of the worst events that can hit an airline, namely a crash that cost the lives of two pilots, on top of the financial strain of soaring fuel prices, he said.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and is expected to have a preliminary report out within 30 days.