Michael Rousseau said he will retire as head of the Montreal-based airline by the end of the third quarter of 2026. The announcement comes after Rousseau faced criticism for offering recorded condolences, almost entirely in English, to the family of Quebecer Antoine Forest, one of two pilots killed in an accident at New York City’s LaGuardia Airport last week. (The Logic)

Talking point: “I think that his retirement is a good thing,” Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters. Though praising Rousseau as an “effective operator” of the airline, Carney said the CEO needs to be bilingual. Rousseau first faced criticism for his inability to speak French in the months after his appointment in February 2021, when he said his busy schedule prevented him from learning the language. La Caisse, Quebec’s influential public pension manager and a major Air Canada shareholder, joined Carney in publicly criticizing Rousseau last week.