Michael Rousseau caused an uproar two weeks ago after delivering a speech in English, then said that in 14 years in Montreal, he had always been able to live without learning French.
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About a hundred people demonstrated Saturday afternoon in front of Air Canada’s headquarters in Montreal to demand the departure of Michael Rousseau, the company’s unilingual boss.
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The purpose of the meeting is to urge the board of directors of the largest airline in the country to “act in accordance” with its “language plan”, explained the organizers of the Société Saint-Jean-Baptiste de Montréal (SSJB) in a press release .
Air Canada’s Language Action Plan 2020-2023 mentions that the airline “is showing real leadership among large Canadian companies in promoting bilingualism.”
Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau caused quite a stir two weeks ago after delivering a speech in English to the Montreal Metropolitan Board of Trade and then telling the press that in 14 years in Montreal, he had always been able to live without learning French and he did. I don’t have time to learn it.
In fact, Rousseau “does not have real leadership in terms of bilingualism,” protests the SSJB, which, according to the militant group, goes against the language policy of the carrier.
Since then, the CEO has apologized and expressed his willingness to improve his fluency in French.
Air Canada Board Chairman Vagn Sorensen said Tuesday that Rousseau had just started “an intensive French learning” and that his progress “will be an integral part of his performance evaluation.”
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Reference-montrealgazette.com