An executive jet taxis behind the Air Canada Express CRJ-900 that collided with a Port Authority fire truck at LaGuardia Airport in New York, after the airport resumed operations on March 23, 2026. TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP
Air Canada said on Monday, March 30, that its CEO Michael Rousseau will retire later this year, in an announcement following controversy over his failure to issue condolences for a fatal airport disaster both in English and French.
Rousseau sparked controversy by issuing an English-only video message to express condolences after a deadly collision on March 22 between an Air Canada jet and a firetruck at New York's LaGuardia Airport.
Canada has two official languages – English and French – and media reports noted that one of the pilots killed in the accident was from French-speaking Quebec.
Rousseau has informed the company's board that he will retire by the end of the third quarter after nearly two decades of leadership, the airline said. It added that work is underway to choose his successor. "The Board will consider a number of performance criteria in assessing candidates including the ability to communicate in French," Air Canada said in the statement.
