Le PDG d’Air Canada Michael Rousseau a offert ses excuses jeudi après avoir déclaré qu’il n’avait pas le temps d’apprendre le français. Mais en qualifiant le français de « langue d’usage au Québec », il a irrité davantage le gouvernement Legault, qui surveillera ses progrès linguistiques lors de ses prochains discours.
M. Legault, qui s’est dit plus tôt en journée « en colère » contre M. Rousseau (voir plus bas dans le texte), a souligné que le français n’est pas une langue « d’usage », mais la langue officielle du Québec, une distinction que le grand patron d’Air Canada ne paraît pas connaître. « Il semble que non, donc je pense qu’il y a encore un peu d’éducation à faire. […] I am happy to see that he has apologized and that he is telling us that he is going to learn French. We will follow that. […] I’m a results guy, we’ll see how quickly he will learn French and if it will appear in his next speeches, ”said Mr. Legault, on a mission to the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.
Its minister responsible for the French language, Simon Jolin-Barrette, also underlined the odd number. “Mr. Rousseau refers to the language used in Quebec, [que] it’s French. It is not just the language of use in Quebec, French, it is the official language of Quebec. […] I invite him to examine his conscience, very deeply, and to reflect within the framework of the functions which he occupies of the necessary need to learn French and to master it well ”, he indicated during the meeting. ‘a press scrum at the National Assembly.
On Wednesday, on the sidelines of a speech to the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal (CCMM), Mr. Rousseau explained that he had been able to live in the Montreal region since 2007 without learning French, and that it was “to l ‘honor of the city’.
His statement sparked an avalanche of criticism. In the middle of the day, in a written statement, he tried to put things right. “I apologize to those who were offended by my words. I want to clarify that I did not want in any way to disrespect Quebeckers and francophones across the country. […] Today I am committed to improving my French, the official language of Canada and the language used in Quebec, ”he said.
Legault “angry” calls out to the CA
For François Legault, who is making the protection and enhancement of French a priority this fall with the study of Bill 96 modernizing the Charter of the French language, the statements made Wednesday by Michael Rousseau are unacceptable. He asks the Air Canada board of directors to act. “It is unspeakable and it shocks me”, he thundered.
According to the Prime Minister, the attitude of the boss of Air Canada is insulting to the employees of the company. “I put myself in the shoes of Air Canada employees and I would not be proud of my president,” he said. For François Legault, this new linguistic incident in Montreal is proof that we must reaffirm that the official language of Quebec is French.
But will his bill be helpful in preventing such a situation in the future? As an airline, Air Canada is subject to the Official Languages Act federal law, and not to the Charter of the French language.
Thinking about your future
This is what Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette believes, who says that his reform would make Air Canada senior management French. The minister even invited Mr. Rousseau to think about his future as CEO of the aircraft manufacturer. “He came to insult and despise all Quebecers. […] He must think deeply about the role he occupies in this company. It is unworthy of his functions, ”he denounced in the morning.
He considers that Mr. Rousseau “demonstrated yesterday that he is unworthy of his functions”. “It is not normal that the boss of a head office in Montreal cannot communicate with his employees in French in Quebec. Quebecers have the right to work in French. […] “, he said.
There are 12 directors on the board of Air Canada, which is headquartered in Montreal. Its chairman since May 2007, Vagn Sorensen, is based in London, UK. Nine of the members live outside Quebec. Four of these are overseas (California, New York, New Zealand and the UK).
The investment firm ETQ Partners, where Mr. Soerensen acts as an advisor, led the questions sent by Press to the Chairman of the Board of Air Canada to the air carrier. The other two directors based in Quebec, Madeleine Paquin, President and CEO of Logistec, and Jean-Marc Huot, partner at the law firm Stikeman Elliott, did not respond to emails from Press.