Air Canada CEO apologizes for English-only video after crash: 'I am still unable to express myself in French'
Air Canada’s President and CEO has issued an apology over his inability to speak French.
“Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French,” Michael Rousseau said in a statement Thursday morning. “I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.”
Rousseau added that he is “deeply saddened” over the attention for his English-only condolences message. The 3:45-minute-long video was posted on social media on Monday after the fatal crash at New York’s LaGuardia airport . In the video, Rousseau only spoke English, with the exception of a “Bonjour” (hello) and “Merci” (thank you) at the beginning and the end of the video.
Rousseau said the controversy around the video “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.”
Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau provides a video statement on the tragic accident involving Air Canada Express AC8646: pic.twitter.com/ZwFibpOkj2
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) March 23, 2026
The two pilots were identified as Antoine Forester, a francophone Quebecer, and Mackenzie Gunther, an alumnus of Toronto-based college Seneca Polytechnic. They were killed when Air Canada Express Flight 8646, carrying 72 passengers and four crew members from Montreal to New York, crashed into a Port Authority fire truck on the runway Sunday night.
Rousseau’s unilingual English video was slammed by Prime Minister Mark Carney on Wednesday morning, who said the CEO’s message lacked compassion. Additionally, Quebec Premier François Legault called for Rousseau’s resignation as CEO and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages revealed it has received 561 complaints about the video.
“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. I’m very disappointed as others are, rightly so,” Carney, who was on his way to a Liberal caucus meeting, said on Wednesday morning.
Carney’s harsh rebuke received a rebuttal from former Alberta premier Jason Kenney on social media. “I await Governor General Mary Simon’s condolence video in French,” Kenney said on X . “Why do the Liberals hold the CEO of Air Canada to a higher standard of bilingualism than their own appointee as Governor General, who hasn’t learned French after four years in the role?”
Governor General of Canada Mary Simon said in a statement in 2024 that while she is fluent in Inuktitut and English, she cannot speak French.
“I understand the importance of French to French-speaking Canadians as a critical part of their cultures and identities. That is one of the reasons that, as I took on my role as governor general, I committed to learning French and continue to practice, improve and use all three languages,” she said.
Barbara Bal, veteran police officer and Conservative candidate, also chimed in. “Carney calling out the Air Canada CEO’s English-only condolence message seems a bit much… considering his own Nepean constituency office isn’t bilingual either,” she said on X .
Dimitri Soudas, former Director of Communications to Stephen Harper, brought up a previous language mishap by the CEO in 2021 where he gave a 26-minute speech in Montreal and barely spoke any French.
“He lives in Quebec. His wife is francophone. He leads a company that is subject to the Official Languages Act,” Soudas said on X . “More than 400 hours of tutoring later, he is still at ‘bonjour’ and ‘merci.’ I believe we have been patient. Very patient. But at some point, respect for a language, for the law, and for the country cannot be optional.”
Meanwhile, Rousseau added in the statement Thursday morning his “deepest condolences to the families of the Jazz Captain and First Officer who tragically lost their lives” and to the Air Canada staff who have given the best of themselves when taking care of the customers despite the weight of the Sunday tragedy.
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