Air Canada CEO Resigns After Backlash for Not Offering Condolences in Frenchcanad
This story is absurd, but also typically Canadian because there’s a background of duplicity at work.
The topline story is that Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is resigning from his office following backlash in Quebec after he released a statement of condolence in the English language. The Quebec legislature and Prime Minister Mark Carney both demanded his resignation because they were offended that Rousseau did not speak French.
Air Canada was involved in a horrific crash at New York’s La Guardia airport. While the airline was not at fault, the CEO released a public message of condolence for the pilots who were killed and the passengers who were injured. The message was delivered in English. That’s the substantive reasoning given for the Canadian outrage.
(VIA NBC) – Air Canada announced Monday its CEO will retire later this year, after Michael Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following this month’s deadly crash in New York.
Canada’s largest airline, based in French-speaking Quebec, said Rousseau told the board he will leave by the end of the third quarter.
Canada is an officially bilingual nation, and Prime Minister Mark Carney had said the English-only message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. Quebec’s premier and others called on the airline executive to resign.
[…] Canada’s largest airline is headquartered in Montreal. Rousseau previously had been criticized for not speaking French. He delivered his condolence video message in English, with French subtitles. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints about it. (read more)
That said, there’s more to this story.
Listen to this video:
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