Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada, the world's No. 7 large airline, will step down in disgrace after a controversy over "bilingualism." On the 30th, local time, Air Canada said Rousseau will retire at the end of the third quarter this year.
The resignation was sparked by a memorial video Rousseau released shortly after the LaGuardia Airport accident in New York on the 22nd. After an Air Canada Express passenger plane collided with a fire truck that day, killing two pilots, Rousseau posted a four-minute video expressing apology and condolences.
In the video, Rousseau's French did not go beyond two words—bonjour and merci. Public anger intensified especially because one of the pilots who died in the accident was a French speaker from Quebec. Canadian media pointed out that when Rousseau was criticized for speaking mainly in English during a 2021 speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, he publicly promised to "learn French."
As anger mounted among Quebec residents and in political circles, the Canadian cabinet stepped in. Prime Minister Mark Carney said shortly after the announcement of Rousseau's resignation that "the decision is appropriate." Carney also strongly demanded that "the next CEO must have bilingual ability, fluent in both English and French." The prevailing analysis is that this is a natural prerequisite given Air Canada's national symbolism.
A spreading anti-U.S. sentiment within Canada also drove Rousseau to the brink. Since President Donald Trump declared a tariff war in April last year, Canada has seen an unusually strong push to reduce dependence on the United States. The Canadian government, taking issue with the fact that 70% of weapons procurement budgets are skewed toward U.S. products, has drawn up a strategy to sharply reduce the U.S. share in defense procurement. Carney also made clear a path of self-reliance, saying Canada can no longer depend on other countries.
Canada regards multiculturalism and a bilingual system as the foundation of national existence. Rousseau's resignation is an expression of a social consensus that a person who undermined these values by relying solely on English cannot be entrusted with the helm of a large corporation close to the public sphere. Air Canada is effectively a public service company subject to the Official Languages Act. It means Rousseau's English-centered stance was seen not as a mere matter of personal taste or preference but as a course that runs counter to Canada's new national strategy. The Globe and Mail, citing experts, reported that "in an anti-U.S. climate, Rousseau—accustomed to an English-centered, U.S.-style management order—clashed with public sentiment seeking to safeguard Canadian identity."
Quebec, where Air Canada is headquartered, faces an election on Oct. 5 this year. Ahead of the vote, French and identity issues are the hottest topics locally. With support for the Parti Québécois (PQ), which has consistently called for separatism, surging, both the ruling party and the opposition are stoking national pride to win votes.
Some say Rousseau's management performance itself was not bad. He steered the airline industry through the pandemic crisis and successfully completed major tasks such as pension restructuring and the acquisition of Aeroplan. James McGaragle, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said Rousseau "demonstrated strong management capabilities in multiple crisis situations."
But good results were no match for issues of language and identity tied to national pride. Maclean's, a Canadian current affairs weekly, reported that this suggests the virtues required of leaders of Canada's large corporations have expanded beyond mere profit-making to cultural respect.