On Wednesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney voiced his displeasure with Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for delivering condolences in English, neglecting to do so in French, Canada’s other official language.
Carney expressed to reporters that Rousseau demonstrated poor judgment and anticipated that the airline’s board would address the issue publicly.
The incident in question occurred when an Air Canada jet collided with a fire truck during its landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on Sunday night, resulting in the tragic death of both pilots.
Despite Air Canada’s commitment to bilingualism, Rousseau, who is a native English speaker, released a video that spanned four minutes but included only two words in French. In response, Parliament’s language committee decided on Tuesday to call him to Ottawa to discuss the situation.
“Many, including myself, are justifiably disappointed with the CEO of Air Canada’s unilingual statement, which signals a lack of judgment and compassion,” Carney remarked.
He added, “I will be paying close attention to his remarks in front of the committee and expect the board of directors to issue their own statements in due course.”
Air Canada was not immediately available for comment.
Language is a sensitive issue in Canada, particularly in predominantly French-speaking Quebec, the second-most populous of the 10 provinces.
Unhappiness over the dominance of English helped the rise of the separatist Parti Quebecois in the 1970s, and the party has a commanding poll lead ahead of a provincial election due this year.
It is promising to hold another referendum on independence if it wins. PQ governments held two such votes in 1980 and 1995.
This is not the first time Rousseau has found himself in trouble over language. In 2021, Canada’s government said he should improve his French as part of his annual board review, prompting him to promise to do better.
As part of a COVID-19 pandemic bailout package, Ottawa took a 6% stake in the airline in 2021. It sold the holding last December.
