TORONTO — Air Canada announced that its CEO, Michael Rousseau, will retire later this year. Rousseau told the board he will leave by the end of the third quarter.

The announcement comes after Rousseau was criticized for his English-only message of condolence following a deadly crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York this month. Rousseau delivered his condolence video message in English with French subtitles.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said the English-only message showed a lack of compassion and judgment. "We live in a bilingual country, and companies like Air Canada particularly have a responsibility to always communicate in both official languages," Carney said.

Quebec Premier François Legault said he believed Rousseau should step down if he was unable to speak French. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages received hundreds of complaints about the English-only condolence video.

Rousseau was summoned to Ottawa by Canada's parliamentary committee on Official Languages to explain himself before Members of Parliament. Rousseau has previously faced criticism for his French language skills.

"I admit that I made a mistake by not learning to speak French when I joined Air Canada, and I am correcting that mistake at this point," Rousseau said.

Air Canada said Rousseau had led the airline for nearly two decades. "It has been my great honour to work with the dedicated and talented people of Air Canada and to represent our outstanding organisation. I look forward to supporting our company during this important transition period," he said.

Canada's transport minister, Steven MacKinnon, thanked Rousseau in a social media post. Air Canada had been working on a succession plan for the past two years.

An Air Canada Jazz flight from Montreal collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport shortly after landing, killing two pilots. The two pilots killed were Antoine Forest and Mackenzie Gunther. Forest was a French-speaking Quebecer.

Rousseau was appointed president of Air Canada in February 2021 and took over as CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic. When he was appointed, he promised to learn French. Air Canada is headquartered in Montreal and is subject to Canada's Official Languages Act.