• Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of Q3 2026.
• Rousseau faced criticism for delivering condolences in English only after a fatal runway collision.
• His inability to speak French has ignited discussions about bilingualism in Canada.

Air Canada has announced that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire later this year in the wake of a controversy surrounding his failure to deliver a bilingual condolence message after a fatal accident at New York's LaGuardia Airport. The crash on March 22 resulted in the deaths of two pilots, one of whom, Antoine Forest, was from French-speaking Quebec, a region where the airline is headquartered and bilingualism is a crucial aspect of public and corporate life, according to BBC and indiatimes.

Rousseau's initial message of condolence was delivered in English, with French subtitles, which sparked significant outrage, particularly among Quebec politicians. Prime Minister Mark Carney criticized the lack of compassion and judgment in a unilingual message, and officials like Quebec’s Premier François Legault called for Rousseau’s resignation, underscoring the sensitivity surrounding the issue of language in Canada, according to Le Monde and Los Angeles Times.

In response to the backlash, Rousseau issued a public apology expressing deep sadness that his "limited French" had diverted attention from the grief of the families affected. He acknowledged that despite several attempts to improve, he remains unable to adequately communicate in French, as reported by BBC and Los Angeles Times.

Rousseau’s retirement comes after nearly two decades of service at the helm of Air Canada. As the company works to transition to new leadership, it continues to emphasize its commitment to providing bilingual services, a requirement in Canada’s Official Languages Act, highlighting ongoing discussions about language policies within the context of corporate communication, according to Le Monde and indiatimes.