National Unity & Sovereignty

Bernard Drainville says the next Air Canada CEO must speak French, calling the outgoing CEO’s departure 'the only sensible thing to do' and framing French-language competence as a matter of respect for francophones and Quebecers in leadership.

Christine Fréchette says Quebec will watch the Air Canada CEO appointment closely and that the next CEO must be bilingual. She stresses the company is subject to the Official Languages Act and top leadership must reflect respect for francophones and Quebec.

He views Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau’s English-only condolence message as disrespectful to francophones, saying that not speaking French is “a lack of respect,” and has joined calls for Rousseau to resign.

He says the Air Canada CEO episode is a symptom — not the cause — of systemic disrespect toward francophones in Canadian institutions, and warns it should not be viewed as an isolated, resolved incident, implying broader institutional change is necessary to protect francophone culture.

Ruba Ghazal demands Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau resign because he has ignored repeated requests to learn French for five years, demonstrating a lack of respect for francophones; she says his continued presence is unacceptable and he should leave.

Simon Jolin-Barrette condemns Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau's repeated English-only communications as unacceptable, saying the recurrence must stop and declaring 'Game over.' He portrays the behaviour as intolerable and demands it end.