Air Canada taps new CEO to replace chief who couldn’t speak French
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Incoming Air Canada chief and French speaker Anko van der Werff is currently the CEO of Scandinavian Airlines.
PHOTO: REUTERS
- Air Canada appointed Anko Van der Werff as new CEO, replacing Michael Rousseau who retired after controversy over his failure to speak French in a condolence message.
- The airline conducted a global search prioritising candidates' ability to communicate in both official Canadian languages, English and French.
- Van der Werff will start by January 2027 and emphasised the importance of serving Canadians in both languages, reflecting Air Canada's bilingual service obligations.
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MONTREAL - Air Canada named a French-speaking European as its new chief executive officer on July 8, replacing Michael Rousseau, who announced his retirement following controversy over his English-only condolence message after a fatal airport disaster.
Canada’s national carrier said Anko Van der Werff, currently the chief executive at Scandinavian Airlines (SAS), would take charge by the end of January 2027.
Van der Werff was chosen following “a comprehensive global search”, Air Canada said.
“The search considered a number of performance criteria, including the ability to communicate in French,” it added.
The incoming boss, who will also serve as president and sit on Air Canada’s board, said he was “mindful of the importance of serving Canadians in both official languages”.
Rousseau had sparked controversy by issuing an English-only video message to express condolences after a deadly collision late on March 22 between an Air Canada jet and a fire truck at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.
Canada has two official languages – English and French – and one of the pilots killed in the accident was from French-speaking Quebec.
Rousseau had issued an apology over his English-only message, regretting that he couldn’t express himself in French “despite many lessons over several years”.
Prime Minister Mark Carney – whose occasionally halting French was discussed when he entered politics in 2025 – also said at the time that he was “disappointed” by Rousseau’s unilingual message.
The fracas highlighted ongoing tensions surrounding the role of French in a majority English-speaking country.
Less than a quarter (22 per cent) of Canada’s population lists French as their first language, according to 2021 census data, with 76 per cent naming English.
In Quebec, 84 per cent of the population say their first language is French.
After Rousseau’s video was posted, Quebec’s provincial legislature passed a motion calling for his resignation.
Air Canada is the country’s largest airline and is headquartered in Montreal, Quebec – Canada’s traditionally French-speaking province.
The company is required to offer services in both languages. AFP
