Languages Commissioner Investigates Air Canada CEO's English-Only Condolence Video

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has launched an investigation into Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau following more than 2,400 complaints regarding his predominantly English-language condolence video. The video was released after a deadly March crash involving an Air Canada Express flight and an airport fire truck at LaGuardia Airport, which killed two pilots and injured 41 people. Critics noted that Rousseau used only two French words, "bonjour" and "merci," in the nearly four-minute message, despite one of the deceased pilots being from Quebec. The incident drew sharp criticism from politicians in Quebec and Ottawa, including Prime Minister Mark Carney, who described the lack of French as showing a "lack of compassion." Shortly after the backlash, Rousseau announced his retirement. This controversy mirrors a 2021 incident where Rousseau delivered an English-only speech to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce, which generated a record 2,680 admissible complaints to the language commissioner. The current investigation aims to address allegations that the airline failed to meet its obligations under official languages laws during a significant corporate communication.