Anko Van der Werff will replace Michael Rousseau as Air Canada\u2019s CEO, the airline announced Wednesday, promising its new top executive can communicate in French.<\/p>\n
Rousseau, who has been the airline\u2019s CEO for five years, announced his retirement in March<\/a> following widespread outrage over his decision to deliver an English-only speech in the wake of a plane crash that killed two pilots, including Antoine Forest, a francophone Quebecer.<\/p>\n Though Rousseau had repeatedly promised to improve his French<\/a> while acting as CEO, the airline said in March<\/a> that his French level was not sufficient to convey the \u201csensitive message\u201d required following the fatal crash.<\/p>\n \u201cThe selection of Mr. Van der Werff follows a comprehensive global search for the best person to lead Air Canada into the future. The search considered a number of performance criteria, including the ability to speak French,\u201d Air Canada said in its statement.<\/p>\n The incoming CEO\u00a0is slated to take over by the end of January 2027, Air Canada said.\u00a0Van der Werff, who is Dutch, currently heads Scandinavian Airlines.<\/p>\n Alongside the statement, the airline released videos of its CEO pick speaking in both English and French. \u201cI am \u2026 mindful of the importance of serving Canadians in both official languages,\u201d Van der Werff said in the video.<\/p>\n According to Air Canada, Van der Werff is proficient in Dutch, English and French and has also learned Spanish, Italian and Swedish to varying degrees.<\/p>\n Quebec\u00a0French Language Minister Jean-Fran\u00e7ois Roberge\u00a0congratulated Van der Werff on X.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u00a0goes without saying\u00a0that the head of Air Canada must demonstrate proficiency\u00a0in French, our official language in Quebec. That\u00a0seems to be\u00a0the case,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cThat said, beyond the language spoken by the CEO, his responsibility is to ensure access to French-language services across the country. On that subject, there is still work to do,\u201d Roberge\u00a0added.<\/p>\n Air Canada, which was a Crown corporation before Ottawa sold it to the private sector, is subject to stricter requirements under federal bilingualism rules than other airlines.<\/p>\n The incoming CEO \u201chas done a good job so far\u201d in\u00a0demonstrating\u00a0his French-language skills, said John Gradek, a McGill lecturer in aviation management.<\/p>\n Now, \u201cI want to see him in person. I want to see him in a press scrum with our French media. I want to see him in a parliamentary committee with the\u00a0Bloc Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois.\u201d<\/p>\n