An apology is not enough, estimate the hundred demonstrators who gathered in front of the head office of Air Canada, in Montreal. They denounced the unilingualism of the CEO of the airline, Michael Rousseau.
The participants in the rally waved Quebec flags to the sound of drums, in a festive atmosphere. “Rousseau makes air,” they chanted.
The CEO of Air Canada had declared, on November 3, to have lived almost 14 years in Montreal without having had to speak French, and that “it is to the honor of the city”.
These remarks made following his speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM) sparked a controversy, and generated strong criticism within the political class. Mr. Rousseau had made a speech almost exclusively in English. ”
Attacking the French language is like attacking each of us, ”says Marie-Anne Alepin, general president of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal, which organized the event.
Mme Alepin denounces that Air Canada does not respect its own linguistic action plan. “Air Canada is showing real leadership among large Canadian companies in the promotion of bilingualism,” reads the company’s 2020-2023 plan. The document indicates that bilingualism is promoted both at Air Canada’s head office in Montreal and elsewhere in the world.
Consult Air Canada’s linguistic action plan
“We wanted to put pressure on Air Canada’s board of directors,” continues Marie-Anne Alepin. “It’s like Mr. Rousseau got to the wrong place at the wrong time for him, but at the same time, for us, it’s only the tip of the iceberg. French lessons are good, but he doesn’t really believe in it, ”she adds.
The general president of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste wonders whether Mr. Rousseau can be CEO of Air Canada, if he is not in a position to respect the Official Languages Act. “Air Canada must be exemplary,” she said.
Michael Rousseau apologized after keeping his controversial words, saying he wanted “in no way to disrespect Quebeckers and francophones across the country.” He is also committed to “improving his French”.
As of last Monday, more than 2,000 complaints were received at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages in Ottawa concerning the speech by the CEO of the airline. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland asked Rousseau earlier this week to learn French, stressing that the situation is “unacceptable”.
In the process, the president of SNC-Lavalin announced Thursday that he was postponing a speech he was to make to the business community, in order to improve his French before speaking.