Air Canada CEO Faces Backlash for English-Only Crash Update

Air Canada's chief executive, Michael Russo, is under fire for delivering an

update in English only after a deadly crash involving in Air Canada.

Express flight. The incident happened Sunday night when a plane from Montreal

collided with a fire truck on the runway at LaGuardia Airport in New York.

The two pilots died, and more than 40 passengers and crew were hurt.

House of Commons members on the official languages committee voted

unanimously Tuesday to call Russo to testify by May 1st.

They see his choice of language as a snub to Canada's bilingual rules.

Federal Transport Minister Stephen McKinnon called the video unacceptable,

pointing out Air Canada's legal duty to use both English and French.

Leaders from the bloc way be qua and Quebec's French language minister

piled on questioning Russo's fitness to lead.

Air Canada stood by its CEO, saying his French skills aren't strong enough yet

for such a delicate message. This isn't his first run-in.

Back in 2021, he faced heat for a mostly English speech in Montreal

and promised to get better. Meanwhile, the airline hasn't weighed in on the summons,

leaving everyone watching for Russo's next move amid the ongoing probe into the crash.

Local news, powered by AI. This is Canada News Today.

I'm Corey with the story.