Michael Rousseau gives a speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce in 2021. The Air Canada CEO will retire later this year, the company said on Monday.Mario Beauregard/The Canadian Press
Air Canada’s AC-T chief executive is leaving the company after setting off a political and public relations storm with an English-only video about the tragic collision at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, which cost the lives of two pilots.
Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of September, the airline said in a news release Monday. He’ll continue to lead the company and serve on the board of directors until that time, the carrier said.
Mr. Rousseau, 68, has sparked outrage and indignation in Quebec and Ottawa over his inability or unwillingness to speak French despite committing years ago to learn the language. Air Canada is headquartered in Montreal and subject to Canada’s Official Languages Act, meaning it has to communicate in both languages on important matters.
Last week, the CEO drew heavy criticism for a video uploaded to the airline’s website in which he expressed his “deepest sorrow for everyone affected” by the LaGuardia Airport accident and provided a factual update of the situation. He said only two words in French in the nearly four-minute video: “Bonjour” at the start and “merci” at the end.
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter, the airline said on Monday, in the wake of a recent backlash for offering condolences after a fatal crash in English and not in French, one of the country's two official languages.
Reuters
Federal Industry Minister Mélanie Joly said Mr. Rousseau’s video showed “a lack of empathy and a lack of sensitivity,” given that some of the victims and their families are French-speaking. Prime Minister Mark Carney said it lacked judgement and compassion.
Air Canada’s board of directors was under heavy pressure to address what was quickly ballooning into a major crisis.
Newscasts and talk shows in Quebec discussed the fiasco nearly non-stop last week and Quebec’s legislature voted a motion last Thursday demanding Mr. Rousseau step down, the first such request of a private-sector company in recent memory.
Pilots and flight crew arrive to line the road outside Air Canada headquarters on Thursday in Montreal for the repatriation of Antoine Forest.Christinne Muschi/The Canadian Press
Two Air Canada Express pilots were killed on March 22 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport after landing when their CRJ900 carrying 72 passengers and four crew members collided with a fire truck on the runway. The pilots, Antoine Forest of Coteau-du-Lac, Que., and Mackenzie Gunther of Ontario, were employees of Halifax’s Jazz Aviation, under contract to Air Canada.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, and is expected to have a preliminary report out within 30 days. “I messed up,” an air traffic controller was heard to say shortly after the crash, according to audio posted by LiveATC.net.
Air Canada said a search for a new CEO is already under way. The company said it would look both internally and externally for a successor and that the board would “consider a number of performance criteria in assessing candidates, including the ability to communicate in French.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Monday it is “essential” Air Canada’s next CEO is bilingual.
“Recent events have underscored the importance of that,” Mr. Carney told reporters, calling Mr. Rousseau’s retirement “the right decision at the right time.”
James McGarragle, a Royal Bank of Canada stock analyst, said the company has been planning for Mr. Rousseau’s departure for two years.
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Mr. Rousseau joined Air Canada in 2007 as finance chief and became CEO in 2021, replacing Calin Rovinescu after two years as deputy CEO. In those roles, he steered the carrier through the 2008 financial crisis as well as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Air Canada officials had said it was important he stay to lead the company through the LaGuardia tragedy and the strain of soaring fuel costs.
John Gradek, who teaches aviation leadership at McGill University, said that position became untenable as the board faced increased pressure from politicians and French-language advocates.
“The dynamics of French in Canada are overpowering and that’s what did him in,” Mr. Gradek said. He predicted Air Canada will soon name a co-CEO to ensure a smooth transition, oversee aircraft purchases and the negotiations of collective agreements.
Not long after he became CEO in 2021, Mr. Rousseau made a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal that was mostly in English. Questioned by reporters after the speech, the CEO said he had managed to live in Montreal for 14 years without speaking French, and suggested he was too busy to learn the language.
His comments shocked politicians in Quebec City and Ottawa, and triggered more than 2,500 complaints to the office of Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages. Justin Trudeau, who was prime minister at the time, called the situation “unacceptable.”
Mr. Rousseau later apologized for the remarks and said he was beginning to take French lessons. “I reiterate Air Canada’s commitment to show respect for French and, as a leader, I will set the tone,” he said at the time.
Last week he apologized again, saying he was still unable to speak the language. He also said he regretted that his lack of French proficiency is proving to be a distraction as the airline deals with the aftermath of the LaGuardia crash.
Mr. Rousseau’s 2025 compensation package totalled $13.1-million, including share-based awards, according to company documents released on Monday. A part of his performance objective was fluency in both official languages. He was deemed by the company’s directors to have met that objective despite his admission that he cannot speak French properly.
“Mr. Rousseau has acknowledged that despite his efforts he is unable to express himself adequately in French,” the company said in documents filed with regulators on Monday ahead of the May 1 annual meeting. “Nevertheless, under his leadership, progress has been made and continued on official language priorities including in corporate language training and with the approval of the Programme de francisation by the Office québécois de la langue française.”
Air Canada employs 39,000 people and flies about 1,000 daily flights.