Air Canada CEO Faces Backlash for French Language Skills

0:00Quebec officials are demanding the resignation of Air Canada's CEO, Michael Russo, for not speaking French. Simon Jolene Barrett, the minister for relations with Canada, called it unacceptable and a sign of disrespect of French speakers across the country. This isn't the first time. Two years ago, Russo promised to learn French during a speech to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce. But recently, he appeared before a House of Commons Committee and could only manage a hello and thank you. Meanwhile, Quebec's minister of the French language, Jean-François Robert, weighed in sharply. He stressed that respect for French is key, especially since it's an official language nationwide. Robert laid out clear steps for Russo, issue an apology in French, and commit fully to learning the language. The backlash highlights ongoing tensions over language rights in Canada, and the story is still developing as more reactions come in. This has been Canada News Today, powered by AI.