QUEBEC — The National Assembly has voted in favour of a motion calling for the resignation of Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau, saying his inability to speak French shows a lack of respect for francophones all over Canada.
Dismissing a formal apology issued by Rousseau on Thursday as “too little, too late,” MNAs supported the motion pitched by the Coalition Avenir Québec government’s minister of the French language, Jean-François Roberge.
The vote was 92 in favour, none against. One MNA, Youri Chassin, the independent for the riding of Saint-Jérôme, abstained.
All the CAQ MNAs present voted in favour, along with MNAs from the Liberals, Québec solidaire and Parti Québécois. The PQ’s votes in favour came as a surprise; earlier in the day, the party said it might abstain because the motion would change nothing.
On Monday, Rousseau shared an English-only message of condolences in the wake of Sunday night’s LaGuardia Airport runway collision between an Air Canada Express flight from Montreal, operated by Jazz Aviation, and an airport fire truck. Two pilots, Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther, died in the crash in New York.
Thursday’s motion states the National Assembly “firmly denounces the lack of respect of Air Canada’s CEO toward the French language, Quebec families in mourning and all the francophones in the federation.”
It says this was not Rousseau’s first “insult” in terms of language matters, and notes that French is the only official language of Quebec.
It adds: “The National Assembly calls for the resignation of Michael Rousseau as CEO of Air Canada,” and demands the next CEO possess a sufficient mastery of the French language.
On Thursday, Air Canada again attempted to put a lid on the controversy, with Rousseau issuing an apology for his unilingual condolence video.
“I want to reiterate my deepest condolences to the families of the Jazz captain and first officer who tragically lost their lives, and recognize the profound impact this accident has had on our employees and customers,” Rousseau said.
“Air Canada is co-operating fully with U.S. and Canadian authorities in the investigation,” he said in a written statement published early Thursday in English and French.
“As president and chief executive officer of Air Canada, it is my duty to support those affected by this tragedy. I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada’s employees, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days.
“Despite many lessons over several years, unfortunately, I am still unable to express myself adequately in French. I sincerely apologize for this, but I am continuing my efforts to improve.”
Rousseau’s apology came after the English-only statement of condolences he issued Monday following the crash that killed Forest, a francophone from Coteau-du-Lac, and co-pilot Gunther of Ontario.
Air Canada is subject to the provisions of Canada’s Official Languages Act. Rousseau’s unilingual statement drew criticism from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who described it as exhibiting a “lack of judgment, a lack of compassion.”
Meanwhile, the federal official languages committee voted to summon Rousseau to Ottawa, where MPs will question what several have described as his failure to respect official bilingualism.
As of Wednesday at 1 p.m., the commissioner of official languages had received 795 complaints about Rousseau’s video. By 8:30 a.m. Thursday, the number had risen to 1,565.
On Thursday, Rousseau’s apology fell on deaf ears in the Quebec legislature.
“It’s not enough,” Roberge said as he arrived for question period. “Michael Rousseau must resign. It’s the only honourable thing left for him to do. After all these years when he failed to learn French, he didn’t even have the decency to read a statement in French that someone else wrote.
“When it comes to sensitivity, he’s a repeat offender.”
Asked whether Ottawa is doing enough to encourage the departure of Rousseau, Roberge said clearly not.
“I think (Carney) needs to take a further step,” Roberge said.
“Michael Rousseau’s crocodile tears impress nobody,” added CAQ house leader Simon Jolin-Barrette.
He said he expects the two francophone members of Air Canada’s board of directors, Jean Marc Huot and Madeleine Paquin, to speak out.
Employment Minister Pascale Déry, who used to be Air Canada’s director of media relations under Rousseau’s leadership, had harsh words, calling on the airline’s board of directors to act.
“We went through this same crisis five years ago,” Déry told reporters. “He promised to learn French. He did not do it. I think today the question is not asking ourselves whether he will learn French or not. I think he just doesn’t want to learn French — that’s it.”
The opposition parties were all on board with the CAQ’s motion.
One day after Quebec Liberal Leader Charles Milliard deplored the Rousseau video but did not go so far as to ask for Rousseau to step down, the party shifted positions and now called for the resignation.
Liberal house leader Marc Tanguay said the party changed its view after examining Rousseau’s apology, which it said was not good enough.
Noting that as a francophone he personally makes efforts to speak to the media in his second language, Tanguay said Rousseau has not evolved in any way.
“He is unable to justify his incapacity (to speak French),” Tanguay told reporters. “Enough is enough. He must resign.”
“I think Mr. Rousseau has been given many chances,” added Québec solidaire house leader Guillaume Cliche-Rivard. “For me, (the apology is) too little, too late. He’s not showing respect.”
Thursday morning, PQ MNA Joël Arseneau suggested his party would abstain from the vote on the motion calling for Rousseau to resign because all the indignation will change nothing.
“We have to stop playing in this same movie rerun,” Arseneau said.
But later, perhaps because Roberge criticized them, the PQ MNAs shifted gears and voted in favour.
Rousseau has found himself in the middle of language controversies before. In November 2021, he delivered an address to Montreal’s business community that contained around 20 seconds of French.
Following the speech, a reporter asked Rousseau how he could have lived in Montreal for 14 years without speaking French.
“Can you redo that in English?” Rousseau replied.
The reporter then translated his question, to which Rousseau responded that his ability to live in the city without speaking French was “a testament to the city of Montreal.”