Michael Rousseau, CEO of Air Canada, will be retiring by the end of the third quarter of 2026. The news was shared by the airline on Monday, 30 March 2026 and comes days after a condolence video with the CEO sparked backlash.
On 22 March 2026, Air Canada’s pilot, Antoine Forest and first officer Mackenzie Gunther were killed in a fatal collision with a forklift truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport. Soon after the accident, the airline published a condolence video on X, in which Michael Rousseau expressed his “deepest sorrow for everyone affected”.
Air Canada President and CEO Michael Rousseau provides a video statement on the tragic accident involving Air Canada Express AC8646: pic.twitter.com/ZwFibpOkj2
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) March 23, 2026
That video, however, soon became the center of attention. While pilot Antoine Forest came from the French-speaking Quebec, and although French is one of Canada’s official languages, the CEO only expressed his condolences in English. Both English and French subtitles were added, but those did not manage to hide the CEO’s shortcomings, for which he later apologised, adding that despite taking lessons, he could not express himself “adequately” in French.
Nevertheless, Canadian politicians, including Prime Minister Mark Carney and Quebec Premier François Legault, quickly criticised Rousseau for his inability and his “lack of compassion”. Legault even believed the CEO should step down if he was unable to speak French, especially on such a delicate occasion.
On Monday, 30 March 2026, Air Canada announced that its CEO had decided to retire by the end of the third quarter of 2026 following the controversy.
Air Canada Board of Directors announces the retirement of President and Chief Executive Officer: https://t.co/VV4AfVmeUG
— Air Canada (@AirCanada) March 30, 2026
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Le Conseil d'administration d'Air Canada annonce le départ à la retraite du président et chef de la direction : https://t.co/m7WbxGRChj pic.twitter.com/JlccCMt7wK
“It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organisation. I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period”, Michael Rousseau stated.
In the same statement shared by Air Canada, Vagn Sørensen, Chair of the Board of Directors, thanked the CEO for his service.
“On behalf of the entire Board, I want to thank Mike for his many contributions to Air Canada as he progressed from Chief Financial Officer to Deputy CEO and then to CEO and Board member. We are grateful for the determined leadership he has provided not only in steering our company through the 2007-2008 financial crisis, COVID and other challenges, but also in capturing opportunities such as the acquisition of Aeroplan, in restoring the solvency of our pension plans and in advancing customer centricity and employee well-being priorities. Our upcoming AGM will allow us to further recognize his achievements which include a legacy of financial strength,” he said.
Je salue la décision du PDG d’Air Canada, Michael Rousseau, de quitter son poste.
— François Legault (@francoislegault) March 30, 2026
Le conseil d’administration d’Air Canada devra s’assurer que le prochain PDG parle français.
C’est une question de respect pour les employés, les clients francophones et l’ensemble des Québécois.
The condolence video was not the first time for Rousseau to be confronted with his limited French language skills. Although he lives in Montreal, the CEO is an anglophone and was already made aware of the issue when he was appointed as CEO of Air Canada in 2021. As the company is subject to Canada’s Official Languages Act, he promised to work on his French at the time, but the issue eventually led to his stepping down.
