SHIFTHEADS: Say Their Names First: Air Canada Crash Fallout

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau's English-only statement after two pilots died had a problem that had nothing to do with language. It had to do with order. The names should have come first. Andrew Caddell says the criticism of Rousseau is fair and the timing of the politicians who piled on was tasteless. Both things can be true.

What is it like to realize a CEO has been through this exact situation before and apparently taken nothing from it? In 2021 Rousseau spoke to the Chambre de Commerce in Montreal entirely in English and told the francophone audience that he had lived in the city for twenty years and never needed to learn French. He believed this reflected well on him. It did not. That was five years ago. One paragraph on a teleprompter was all that was needed this time and he did not do it.

The NDP is choosing a new leader in Winnipeg this week. Andrew Caddell says the party is a shadow of what it was, Wab Kinew is not going anywhere, and Abby Lewis has lost two elections.

Topics: Air Canada CEO French language, Michael Rousseau 2021 Montreal, NDP leadership Winnipeg, Canadian politics, two pilots LaGuardia

GUEST: Andrew Caddell

Originally aired on 2026-03-27