AC President and CEO Michael Rosseau Apologizes for Not Speaking French After Backlash

Should the head of a Canadian airline be fluent in French?

The question is gaining national momentum with Prime Minister Mark Carney weighing in and Quebec Premier François Legault calling for resignation, after Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau delivered a four-minute video message in English only, offering condolences following the fatal crash of Air Canada Express flight AC8646 earlier this week.

Aside from opening with “Bonjour” and closing with “Merci,” Rousseau delivered his message entirely in English—prompting criticism that the response lacked empathy, particularly given that one of the pilots who died, Antoine Forest, was a French-speaking Quebecer.

On his way into a Caucus meeting Canadian PM Mark Carney told reporters he was very disappointed.

“We proudly live in a bilingual country and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation.”

CBC has confirmed the Commissioner of Official Languages received a total of 795 complaints as of 1 pm ET on Wednesday concerning the video message.

Early Thursday morning (March 26) Air Canada issued a statement from Rosseau:

“As President and Chief Executive Officer of Air Canada, it is my duty to support those affected by this tragedy. 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.”

It’s not the first time Rosseau’s faced criticism for not being bilingual. In 2021, Rosseau apologized after speaking English to a business group in Montreal where his defence was that despite living in Montreal for 14 years, he didn’t need to use French because so many people there spoke English.

Air Canada has an “Official Languages” section on their website. Listed there, Arielle Meloul-Wechsler, Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer and Public Affairs, Official Languages Champion reinforces the two languages are an important part of Canada’s identity.

“Hello/Bonjour! At Air Canada, we know our country’s two official languages are fundamental elements of our Canadian identity and we see this linguistic duality as an integral part of who we are. Our employees act as ambassadors of Canada around the world, and we take pride in treating every customer with care and class. We have proudly served our clients in the official language of their choice for over 50 years, and honouring their official language choice is a core aspect of ensuring our customers’ travel experiences are positive and memorable.”