Air Canada has announced that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of this year’s third quarter on Monday morning.
The news comes after backlash from political leaders last week over Rousseau’s English-only video condolences after the deadly Air Canada crash at LaGuardia Airport that killed two of the airlines pilots, including one from Quebec.
“The Board has had a longstanding focus on CEO succession planning. Consistent with this priority, work has been underway for more than two years on a comprehensive internal development program for high potential executives,” Air Canada’s statement reads.
“An external global search was also commenced in January 2026 to identify potential additional candidates with the skills, and experience to lead Canada’s national airline, proudly headquartered in Montréal, Québec.”
Rousseau has been the CEO of Air Canada since February 2021.
Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday said Rousseau’s decision to retire was “appropriate.”
“It is essential that the next CEO of Air Canada is bilingual,” he told reporters at an event in Toronto.
Get daily National news
“That should’ve gone without saying, to begin with, but recent events have underscored the importance of that.”
Carney added Rousseau was “an effective operator of the airline and did many things, and I salute him for that, but being a leader has many responsibilities.”
Carney had criticized Rousseau’s English-only crash condolences last week, saying he was “very disappointed.”
“It doesn’t matter the circumstances but particularly in these circumstances: a lack of judgment and a lack of compassion,” Carney told reporters on Thursday.
“We live in a bilingual country. Companies like Air Canada, particularly, have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation.”
In those remarks, and again on Monday, the prime minister spoke first in French before repeating the criticisms in English.
Carney has worked to boost his French skills since entering politics over a year ago.
His proficiency improved over the course of the Liberal leadership campaign and the general election race last year after struggling with the language in his initial appearances.
In one notable flub during the Liberal leadership French debate, he mistakenly said “we agree with Hamas,” prompting his then-opponent Chrystia Freeland to correct him.
In a French-language interview in April prior to the election, Carney rated his French skills at a “six out of 10,” but promised to improve to an eight or nine out of 10 by the end of his first term as prime minister.
Lmfao calls by who? Global News is such a pathetically biased media company. Nobody cares. I can’t wait to see your staff on the unemployment line in a couple years. Be ready.
Tous ces commentaires doivent être rédigés dans les deux langues officielles. Si ce n’est pas le cas, ne les publiez pas.
All these comments should be in both official languages. If not, don’t post!
OMG, he admitted he is not good at French, he apologized. Promised he would do better. And now has to do this? We are too pissy with these things. “Forgive, promise to do better”
Did anyone see Michael Ma’s “apology”? Was it in french? NO, but that’s ok. How can reasonable people vote for the libs? It absolutely boggles the mind. INDEPENDENT ALBERTA!
it is so sad that the French and French lovers think it so important that someone should resign over it.
Carney should be ashamed of his remarks. As long as 1 of the 2 official languages was used. It is not important at all, not essential that the CEO of a company be bilingual. – they can hire interpreters to translate for them.
Retirement after a speech in only one of Canada’s official languages is ridiculous when compared with the corruption in the US government and no one is even considering retirement. If he had spoken in French only, I would not have cared at all.
He should wait out the news cycle. Nobody really cares
So wrong!!
SO SAD!!!! The next thing they will be having happen will be deleting English and speaking only French, Mohawk, Objibway, Cree, Palestinian, PUNJAB OR OTHER!!
CARNEY IS A BROWN-NOSER… ALWAYS WAS…
THE APATHY IN CANADA IS IMPROVING . FROM BAD TO WORSE
THANK GOODNESS CANADA HAS 3 SUBMARINES AT THE WEST EDMONTON MALL TO PROTECT THE FAR NORTH…!
WE NEED THEREFORE SUBMARINERS WHO SPEAK ESKIMO…!!!
HOLD THE POUTINE…!!!
English is the language of aviation all over the world….i dont see a problem
Stupidity like this is why Alberta needs to go it’s own way.
I was coming to comment my disgust in why this matters but looks like everyone beat me to the punch.
Embarrassing what Canada has become. Forced to resign over not speaking a language that 80% of canada does not speak. Throw in the Palestinian flag waving behind Lewis at the NDP leadership get together and it makes you wonder where did our once proud and relevant country go.
Absolute horsesh*t courtesy of non other than skidMark Carney. Two men tragically lost their lives and all this hack cares about is the AC’s public address was not in French.
skidMark throwing Rousseau under the bus for political correctness shows how petty and vindictive skidMark really is.
Time to STOP kissing Quebec’s ass!!!
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH …. WHY DO THESE FRENCH HAVE A CANDIDATE FOR FEDERAL ELECTIONS …. BLOC QUEBECOIS …. TOTAL INSANITY … NO ONE ELSE IN CANADA HAS A CANDIDATE FOR THESE IDIOTIC PARTY….SHOULD NOT BE A FEDERAL PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where were the calls for Carney’s resignation when he refused to attend the french debate? Hypocrites !!
I so agree with Mr. James Stephenson. Fed up with Quebec and wish they would leave canada once and for all. And no more financial benefits from all canadians that they have been screwing financially all these years – cut the equalization payments that kept them part of Canada ASAP.
F*ck you Kabec! F*ck you Carney.
Time to move Air Canada’s headquarters to Winnipeg. It’s in the center of Canada and there are no policies on language use. You can speak whatever language you like without being punished.
He was thrown under the bus by crooked Carney, cause the ceo can’t speak french…. they didn’t ask him to retire. Headline should read CEO of Air Canada was terminated!
The next one will likely need to speak Punjabi and Mandarin, or there will be more outrage.
Carney took the opportunity to use the ocassion to use it for the benefit of his upcoming by election in Quebec. The little weasel would do it to his mother if it meant more power for the global European. I hope his efforts backfire. He couldn’t do French in the debate .. Freeland had to help him. Now he’s helping her.
Quebec strikes again with its absurd language protectionism. He shouldn’t resign, he should hold in solidarity and maybe even fight for anglophone rights. Quebec is awful, and they are educated to stigmatise English-speaking Canadians. It’s worth mentioning that New Brunswick is becoming the same way as Quebecers buy up the province.
I am a firm believer in learning second and third laungauges
It improves many things at many levels.
THAT SAID the attacks on Rousseau are bigotted, targeted and unfair.
Through out all our Governments the anti unilingual bias is evident.
It works as a cover for bias, biggotry, and denial of promotion aimed at non francaphones.
That is wrong plain and simple.
Want to know what feeds so much Western alienation in Canada and even much of Ontario you don’t have to look far.
This from Carney who didn’t take part in the French debate during the election. Maybe Carney should tell Quebec that it’s supposed to be bilingual but then again he may lose liberal votes if he holds them to the same bilingual standard as everyone else.
Ridiculous capitulation, being bilingual should be a nice to have not mandatory requirement for CEO. English is the language of air travel so no need to apologize or resign. Haven’t flown on Air Canada for years and won’t be changing my mind.
I’m from Quebec. I would never resign, and make it clear to Quebecers that their language laws have NO weight whatsoever in the USA. My Canadian pardon is not a valid US document. Therefore it’s English only in Canada.
what a joke this country has become, the frenchies get upset, this man is forced to retire.
Have any of you commenters lived in Quebec to understand how English is looked at there. You louse a lot of your rights there Do not call this a bilingual province, it has become far from that.
Shame on the politicians that have used this as their own political fodder. I am sure he was bus
dealing with everything that had to be taken care of.
Criticizing someone in the midst of all this is just not helpful.
If someone speaking French is important to the Liberals then why doesn’t the Governor General speak fluent French. It’s the always the same with Carney and this Liberal government do as I say not what I do. The Liberals have to protect the votes they have in Quebec
2/3s of this country can’t speak French above and beyond what was forced learned in highschool.
As it’s a publicly trade company it should be shareholders who decide who runs that company and no one else. Speaking french or not has bearing on whether no not the CEO cant run a company properly.
Whole thing is ridiculous.
No one should have to speak French in Canada!
A sad day when a person has to resign for such a required piece of “political correctness”.
It is a shame that Mr.rousseau has resigned all due to ignorant remarks from carney and legally regarding his lack of speaking French when the focus should have been about the two young men who were killed and the reason of what happened.I wish Mr
Rousseau all the best of luck in his future.
Backstabbed by Carney, forced out by the cancel culture destroying our country.
You know this came on orders from Qubek
Politians have short memories when the want to score points. In 2023 Parliment decided to decline to make French mandatory for executives of federally regulated companies. Quebec politians in particular get ina huff. Air Canada is a private federally regulated company, not a Crown corpoation.Quebec politians in particular get ina huff. Michael Rousseau did nothing wrong.
He’s not retiring because of resignation calls over not using french for two seconds you unbelievable HACKS.
I disagree with this totally, and am tired of all this speak French, seems to me it’s pretty one sided to the French side, try traveling through Quebec if you don’t speak French, it’s not nice
I would love to have his golden hand shake, whats that going to cost us?
Ability to do the job is what counts, hire a translator for the rest.
AC has been going down the toilet in service. I pride taking all Canadian, but AC nickel and dime every service is ridiculous. Good riddance!
Ironic Comedy
“If AC was generating a good profit margin under his leadership he shouldn’t retire. Who cares if he can’t speak French. I don’t. Hire a translator to translate your speeches. I hear Quebec is going to have a referendum for separation. I suggest the rest of Canada hold a referendum to expel Quebec from confederation.”
Agree 100%
Mark carney is a wind bag trying to score points following a tragic accident, he should be embarrassed, but he isn’t he’s just a liberal politician so h has zero scruples.
If AC was generating a good profit margin under his leadership he shouldn’t retire. Who cares if he can’t speak French. I don’t. Hire a translator to translate your speeches. I hear Quebec is going to have a referendum for separation. I suggest the rest of Canada hold a referendum to expel Quebec from confederation.
You know darn well that Carney pushed this despite his lack of french and the GG’s lack of french. He probably threatened them that they would get no more subsidies.