Air Canada CEO to Quit After Furor About Crash Condolence Video
Bloomberg Canada Reporter Derek Decloet discusses the decision of Air Canada’s CEO to step down after a controversial English-only video statement about the deadly runway collision at LaGuardia.
Air Canada Chief Executive Officer Michael Rousseau announced he’s leaving after creating a public relations fiasco with an English-language video about the deadly runway collision at LaGuardia Airport in New York.
Rousseau, 68, will retire by the end of the third quarter, Air Canada said in a statement Monday morning.
An Air Canada Express jet flew from Montreal to New York on March 22 and, after landing, collided with an airport fire truck, killing both pilots. Rousseau made a video statement in which he expressed his “deepest sorrow for everyone affected.” But the only words he spoke in French were “bonjour” at the beginning and “merci” at the end. French subtitles were provided.
That caused a furor in Quebec, where the provincial legislature, known as the National Assembly, voted 92 to zero in favor of a motion calling for Rousseau’s resignation. Many French-speaking Canadians pointed out that one of the two pilots killed in the crash, Antoine Forest, was from Quebec.
Canada’s largest airline is required to provide services in English and French, the country’s two official languages. It’s also headquartered in the Montreal region, the business and financial center of Quebec, the only Canadian province where French is the majority language.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney lambasted Rousseau last week, saying the video showed a “lack of judgment and lack of compassion.”
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