Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau announced his retirement on March 30, 2026, following a wave of public and political backlash over a unilingual English condolence video (TravelPulse Canada). While the company officially framed his departure as a retirement, reports indicate Rousseau advanced his planned exit by roughly 12 months due to mounting pressure from federal and provincial leaders.
The controversy began after the tragic March 22, 2026, accident involving Air Canada Express Flight 8646 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft collided with a fire truck during landing, killing two pilots: First Officer Mackenzie Gunther and Capt. Antoine Forest. On March 23, Rousseau released a video on X (formerly Twitter) expressing condolences. Despite Air Canada being headquartered in Montreal and one of the deceased pilots being a francophone from Quebec, the message was almost entirely in English, containing only the words “bonjour” and “merci” in French (The Globe and Mail).
The backlash was swift. Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized the English-only message as showing a “lack of judgment and lack of compassion,” emphasizing that the next CEO must be bilingual. Quebec Premier François Legault and the Quebec National Assembly unanimously passed a motion calling for Rousseau’s resignation (TravelPulse Canada).
This was not Rousseau’s first language-related misstep. In 2021, he faced criticism for admitting he had lived in Montreal for 14 years without learning French (The Globe and Mail).
Rousseau will remain CEO and a board member until fall 2026, while Air Canada’s board conducts a global search for his successor. The company has confirmed that French proficiency will be a key requirement for the next leader (TravelPulse Canada).
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