Air Canada CEO Apologizes for ‘Inability to Speak French’ in Message Following Plane Crash

An Air Canada Express jet taxis past the wreckage of an Air Canada Express jet on March 25, 2026, as maintenance crews prepare to move the plane from the runway where it had collided with a Port Authority fire truck on March 22 at LaGuardia Airport, in New York. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau has apologized for being unable to speak French fluently after releasing a video message offering condolences in English to the families of two pilots killed in a plane crash at a New York airport earlier this week.

Rousseau has faced criticism for the video statement he released on March 23, which was delivered in English except for the French words “bonjour” at the start of the video and “merci” at the end.