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Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to retire
Rousseau's retirement ends nearly 20 years at Air Canada amid criticism over his English-only condolence video after a fatal crash and demands for bilingual leadership.
- On Monday, Air Canada's board announced that CEO Michael Rousseau will retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026, closing out nearly two decades leading the country's largest airline.
- Rousseau's departure follows weeks of controversy tied to a four-minute condolence video released after a deadly Air Canada Jazz crash at LaGuardia Airport, delivered almost entirely in English.
- Prime Minister Mark Carney stated the message showed a "lack of judgment and lack of compassion," while Quebec Premier François Legault called for the executive's resignation, arguing his inability to speak French disrespected customers.
- Board chair Vagn Sørensen praised Rousseau's tenure through the 2007-08 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic as Air Canada launched a global external search for a successor beginning in January 2026.
- Succession planning has been a priority for more than two years, with internal development programs already underway, and Rousseau agreed to remain available to support the company during the transition period after his departure.
182 Articles
182 Articles
Michael Rousseau | Air Canada CEO: A nearly entirely English-language video message from Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau was poorly received in the bilingual…
Air Canada CEO Resigns After Backlash for Not Offering Condolences in French
This story is absurd, but also typically Canadian because there’s a background of duplicity at work. The topline story is that Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is resigning from his office following backlash in Quebec after he released a statement of condolence in the English language. The Quebec legislature and Prime Minister Mark Carney both […]
burlingtontoday.com
Air Canada CEO to step down later this year after backlash over lack of French
MONTREAL — Air Canada chief executive Michael Rousseau will leave the company later this year after coming under fire last week for his failure to deliver a video condolence message in French following a plane crash that killed two Air Canada Express
‘Did he jump or was he pushed?’ Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau to retire by end of September
The retirement announcement comes just a week after Michael Rousseau was criticized for an English-only condolence video following the LaGuardia Airport crash that killed two pilots.
The CEO of Air Canada has announced his early retirement after facing criticism for not expressing his condolences in French following the tragic crash at New York airport. Canada is an officially bilingual country, and one of the pilots who died was from a French-speaking background.
Air Canada CEO to retire after English-only response to LaGuardia tragedy
OTTAWA — Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau recorded a video last week to express condolences after a deadly crash in New York involving one of the airline’s flights. But the top executive of Canada’s national airline spoke almost entirely in English, prompting outcry and a swift rebuke — including from Prime Minister Mark Carney. Facing calls for his resignation, the Montreal-based executive announced Monday that he will soon retire. The airline s…
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