![\"Text](\"https:\/\/www.cbc.ca\/a\/assets\/texttospeech.svg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Listen to this article<\/p>\n
Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney had pointed words for the head of Canada’s largest airline early Wednesday, saying the Air Canada CEO’s unilingual message of condolences to those affected by the recent deadly crash showed a “lack of judgment” and “a lack of compassion.”<\/p>\n
“I’m very disappointed,” the prime minister said on his way into a caucus meeting.<\/p>\n
“We proudly live in a bilingual country and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages, regardless of the situation.”<\/p>\n
The airline posted Michael Rousseau’s four-minute video message after Air \u2060Canada Express Flight 8646, which was carrying passengers from Montreal to LaGuardia Airport in New York, hit a fire truck on the runway when landing late Sunday. The crash killed both pilots, Antoine Forest and\u00a0Mackenzie Gunther, and sent more than 40 people to hospital.<\/p>\n
Forest was a French-speaking Quebecer. <\/p>\n
In his unilingual message, Rousseau said he was deeply saddened by the loss of life and said the collision was a “very dark day” for Air Canada.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Outside of Rousseau saying “bonjour” at the beginning and “merci” at the end, he delivered the message in English, with French subtitles.\u00a0While Air Canada was privatized decades ago it remains subject to the Official Languages Act.<\/p>\n
Calls for resignation mount <\/p>\n
On top of the aftermath of the tragedy, Rousseau now finds himself the target of political backlash and, as of Wednesday afternoon, some 795 complaints to\u00a0the Commissioner of Official Languages. <\/p>\n
Carney said the unilingual message “particularly in these circumstances” showed a “lack of judgment, a lack of compassion.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
WATCH | PM ‘very disappointed’:![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774471810_460_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Carney ‘very disappointed’ in Air Canada CEO’s English-only message after fatal airport collision<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Mark Carney called out Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau for a ‘unilingual message’ delivered after an Air Canada Express passenger jet collided with a fire truck at LaGuardia airport, killing both pilots. Carney, who offered condolences to the families of the pilots who died, said the message showed, ‘a lack of judgment and a lack of compassion.’<\/p>\n
The tone was shared by other MPs on Parliament Hill Wednesday.<\/p>\n
Industry Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly, whose riding is in Montreal, said given “a lot of the victims and their families are francophones” the video showed a “lack of empathy.”<\/p>\n
“I think it’s a question of moral leadership,” she said.<\/p>\n
Canadian Identity and Culture Minister Marc Miller said he’s holding back to not make “political hay over what remains a tragedy with people still in hospital.”<\/p>\n
“He should know better,” he said, alluding to Rousseau’s previous language controversy. After giving a predominantly English speech in 2021, he told a reporter he didn’t need to learn French in order to live in Montreal.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Rousseau later apologized and said at the time he started French lessons. <\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/1774471811_241_default.jpg\")
<\/p>\n