Air Canada CEO apology fails to end English-only backlash

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published March 26, 2026

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Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau’s apology on Thursday, March 26, 2026, did little to calm a growing political and linguistic backlash after his condolence video following the LaGuardia crash was delivered almost entirely in English, reopening a highly sensitive debate over bilingualism in Canada, especially in Quebec.

Rousseau came under fire after releasing a message that included only two words in French while the airline was mourning the victims of the Air Canada Express crash at New York’s LaGuardia Airport, where an aircraft collided with a fire truck during landing, killing both pilots. Prime Minister Mark Carney said the message showed a lack of judgment and compassion at a moment of national grief.

In his new statement, Rousseau said he was deeply saddened that his inability to speak French had shifted attention away from the families’ grief and the professionalism of Air Canada employees. He also acknowledged that, despite years of lessons, he is still unable to express himself adequately in French. But the apology quickly fed a wider debate over whether the head of a Montreal-based national carrier should still be unable to address the public in both official languages.

The controversy quickly spread beyond the airline itself. Rousseau has been summoned before Parliament’s official languages committee, and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages has received hundreds of complaints. In Quebec, Premier François Legault went further, saying Rousseau should resign, underscoring how the issue has grown into a larger test of respect for French within a company seen as part of Canada’s national fabric.

The backlash also revived memories of 2021, when Rousseau faced similar criticism after speaking only English in Montreal and later promised to improve his French. For many critics, the latest episode suggests that the underlying issue was never fully resolved.