Calls for AirCan’s resignation
The Canadian Press – November 5, 2021 / 9:20 a.m. | History: 350798
Photo: The Canadian Press
Canadian politicians are piling on Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau, despite his apologies for comments he made about the French language that sparked a widespread backlash.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described the situation as “an unacceptable situation”, noting that the minister in charge of official languages ”is giving a follow-up”.
The New Democratic Party has called for Rousseau’s resignation. The deputy leader of the NDP, Alexandre Boulerice, the only member of the party in Quebec, declared that Rousseau “spat in the face of Quebecers and all members of the francophone communities of the country”.
He says Rousseau should be ashamed of bragging that his mother and wife speak French without ever learning the language.
Boulerice notes that Canada’s largest airline, based in Montreal, is the subject of an average of 80 complaints per year to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.
Rousseau sparked a firestorm after delivering a speech almost entirely in English on Wednesday, then telling reporters he had no time to learn French.
A spokesperson for the Commissioner of Official Languages says more than 200 complaints against Air Canada were filed Thursday evening.
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