Air Canada CEO to retire after condolence comments criticized

Rousseau's video message after LaGuardia crash only in English sparked backlash

Mar. 30, 2026 at 5:07pm

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Air Canada's CEO, Michael Rousseau, announced plans to retire amid backlash over his condolence message following the deadly crash at New York's LaGuardia Airport, in which he spoke only in English despite the airline's headquarters being in French-speaking Quebec and one of the pilots killed being a French-speaking Quebecer.

Why it matters

Rousseau's failure to address the crash in both of Canada's official languages, English and French, was seen as a lack of compassion and judgment, especially given Air Canada's responsibility to serve all Canadians bilingually. The controversy highlights the importance of linguistic inclusivity, especially for major corporations operating in a bilingual country.

The details

After the crash at LaGuardia Airport that killed two Air Canada pilots, including a French-speaking Quebecer, CEO Michael Rousseau released a video message expressing condolences. However, the message was delivered only in English, sparking criticism from Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and hundreds of complaints to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Carney called on Rousseau to resign, stating that as the leader of a company headquartered in French-speaking Quebec, Rousseau showed a lack of compassion and judgment by not communicating in both of Canada's official languages.

  • On March 23, 2026, two Air Canada pilots were killed when their jet collided with a fire truck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
  • The next day, on March 24, 2026, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau released a video message expressing condolences, but only in English.
  • On March 25, 2026, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized Rousseau's video and called on him to resign.
  • On March 30, 2026, Air Canada announced that Rousseau will retire later this year, by the end of the third quarter.

The players

Michael Rousseau

The CEO of Air Canada who announced plans to retire amid backlash over his condolence message following the deadly LaGuardia crash, in which he spoke only in English despite Air Canada's headquarters being in French-speaking Quebec.

Mark Carney

The Prime Minister of Canada who criticized Rousseau's video message for not being delivered in both of Canada's official languages, English and French, and called on Rousseau to resign.

Antoine Forest

One of the two Air Canada pilots killed in the LaGuardia crash, who was a French-speaking Quebecer.

Steven MacKinnon

Canada's transport minister who thanked Rousseau in a social media post and said the government will continue to work closely with Air Canada to ensure it provides safe, reliable, affordable, and bilingual service to all Canadians.

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What they’re saying

“We proudly live in a bilingual country. There are two official languages here and Air Canada has a special responsibility to communicate whatever the situation in both official languages.”

— Mark Carney, Canadian Prime Minister

“The government will continue to work closely with Air Canada to ensure it provides safe, reliable, affordable, and bilingual service to all Canadians.”

— Steven MacKinnon, Canada's Transport Minister

What’s next

Rousseau is expected to leave his position as Air Canada's CEO by the end of the third quarter of this year.

The takeaway

This incident highlights the importance of linguistic inclusivity, especially for major corporations operating in a bilingual country like Canada. Air Canada's failure to communicate in both of the country's official languages in a time of crisis was seen as a lack of compassion and judgment, and ultimately led to the CEO's retirement.