Prime Minister Mark Carney has sharply criticized Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for delivering an English-only statement following the fatal crash of Air Canada Express flight AC8646 at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. The crash killed both pilots-one from Quebec-on Sunday night.
Carney called the unilingual message “a lack of judgment and compassion,” emphasizing that Air Canada, as a federally regulated carrier, must uphold Canada’s bilingual obligations regardless of circumstance.
Rousseau’s video statement included only two French words-“bonjour” and “merci”-despite French subtitles. The House of Commons standing committee on official languages unanimously summoned him to explain the omission.
This isn’t Rousseau’s first controversy over language. In 2021, he sparked national backlash by saying he was “too busy to learn French” despite living in Quebec for 14 years. Then-deputy PM Chrystia Freeland urged Air Canada’s board to tie his French proficiency to performance reviews and executive promotions.