The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada is rebuking Air Canada’s outgoing CEO for a condolence message he delivered almost entirely in English after a deadly plane crash in New York earlier this year.
The commissioner’s annual report says her office received a large number of complaints after Michael Rousseau posted a four-minute video that only included two French words — “bonjour” and “merci.”
Kelly Burke’s report says it’s important for Canadians to hear and see their leaders speaking equally in both official languages in times of crisis.
Burke adds that bilingualism is an essential skill for any leader, whether in politics, the federal public service or the private sector.
The commissioner’s office said in an email that it received 2,425 complaints on the video, including 98 that arrived after the end of the current financial year on March 31.
Air Canada announced in March that Rousseau would retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026.
Rousseau’s message came after an Air Canada regional jet that took off in Montreal, crashed at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 22, killing two pilots and sending more than 40 people to hospital.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2026.
