Air Canada CEO Retires Amidst Bilingualism Controversy
Air Canada announced Monday that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter, following criticism over his English-only message of condolence after a deadly crash. Rousseau’s decision to step down comes after Prime Minister Mark Carney deemed it “appropriate” for the next CEO of the Canadian airline to be bilingual, given Canada’s official bilingual status and Air Canada’s headquarters in Quebec. The incident further highlighted past criticism of Rousseau for not speaking French, with Quebec’s premier emphasizing the need for the next leader to speak French.
John Q. Hosedrinker