Despite his apologies and promises to learn French on Thursday, Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau is still not out of the turbulence zone. On the contrary: the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, added a layer in the morning on Friday.
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“This is an unacceptable situation and I am happy that the Minister of Official Languages is following up on it”, reacted Mr. Trudeau during a scrum when he left a pharmacy in Ottawa, where he received a seasonal flu shot.
Mr. Trudeau echoed the new Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who also described the remarks made by Michael Rousseau as “unacceptable” in a statement sent to the QMI Agency on Friday.
“I have taken note of his apologies, but they must be followed by concrete action to show that he takes his obligations seriously. It’s a matter of respect, ”she added.
At the minister’s office, we are sure to have contacted Air Canada and the Department of Transport to discuss the situation.
Mme Petitpas Taylor wants to pass the reform of the Official Languages Act, tabled earlier this year, within 100 days of Parliament’s recall. It plans to give more “bite” to the current law and grant more power to the Commissioner of Official Languages, including the power to grant more severe punishments.
A whirlwind of criticism
If the Liberal government seems to be taking the issue seriously, others are not hesitating to call for the resignation of Mr. Rousseau. Among these are, in Ottawa, the NDP and the Bloc Québécois, and in Quebec, the Liberal Party and Quebec solidaire.
All these parties are calling for Bill 101 to be applied to federally chartered businesses located on Quebec soil.
Recall that on Wednesday, Michael Rousseau delivered a speech only in English, after a very brief opening remark in French. He later explained during a scrum that he had managed to live in Montreal without speaking French since he moved there in 2007.
Much more than the speech in English, it was his responses to journalists that ignited the powder.
It should be noted that Air Canada had been alerted by the office of the Premier of Quebec as well as by the Commissioner of Official Languages as to the problems that could emerge from a unilingual speech in Montreal, the metropolis of Quebec.
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The defense of French, the unease of the PLQ – Antoine Robitaille
Air Canada: are we surprised? – Michel Girard
Sorry Sir Rousseau, it doesn’t work – Josée Legault
Air Canada: a late apology meaningless – Denise Bombardier
Michael Rousseau must suffer the consequences – Mario Dumont
Air Canada: like Marie-Antoinette … – Réjean Parent