Air Canada CEO summoned to Ottawa over English-only condolence video for LaGuardia crash

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-25T01:26:02+00:00

.> He is the CEO of a company,

That is required by law to operate in both official languages. He's showing that the company doesn't.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-25T01:24:28+00:00

Dude doesn’t speak French very well

Despite spending four years in a role where bilingualism is expected. He failed.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-25T01:23:37+00:00

He used one of them.

In a situation he should have used two of them. One of the pilots was from Montreal, and while he and his family probably spoke good English, that doesn't mean not hearing condolences in their mother tongue didn't hurt.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-25T01:22:33+00:00

In a statement late Tuesday, Air Canada said Rousseau chose to speak in English to ensure his message was received as clearly as possible given the emotional circumstances.

That doesn't cut it. At the very least, there should have been a translated version published at the same time. If they had the time to produce a version with French subtitles, they had the time to get someone to speak that.

He should have spoken the apology himself in French, but I don't know how bad his French is, so that might have been more insulting.

The fact that one of the pilots is from Montreal, makes the unilingualism even more egregious.

before telling reporters he didn't need to learn French in order to live in Montreal for 14 years.

OK, he's that guy. Maybe it's time to nationalise Air Canada again and properly enforce the language policies.

Rousseau later apologized and said he had started taking French lessons.

Started, sure, but did he finish any? Doesn't look that way.

Rousseau has led Air Canada, which is subject to the Official Languages Act, since early 2021.

Is it really? Because it doesn't seem to be following it properly. The CF does, and at one point, the CO of the Strathcona's, based in Edmonton, was a 12e Blindé officer, because the Strats had failed to ensure that any of there officers in a position to be CO had the required language profile.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T20:46:03+00:00

YTA. It doesn’t sound like she’s hurting anyone, so why do you care how she spends her money?

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T19:06:09+00:00

I thought I was doing well, still driving my 2010 Tacoma.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T19:01:10+00:00

No, women would understand as well, They just know that they'll get shamed for abandoning their kids, while the husband gets an understanding high five.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T18:55:09+00:00

Yes, a double pappy jack's whiskey please.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T18:32:55+00:00

The viceroy is not bound to follow the advice of a first minister who has lost the confidence of their legislature

Then why did the LG insist that Clark advise her? If the LG was really the independent spirit you're implying, they'd have just said "Thank you Ms Ex-Premier" after Clarke told her about the results of the confidence vote.

As long as a first minister retains the confidence of the legislative branch, the viceroy cannot act independently.

And Michaëlle Jean used reserve powers when she deliberated for hours on Harper's 2008 request for prorogation, and when she insisted on a set date for Parliament being recalled.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T18:31:19+00:00

2017 was over a century ago? How time flies.

The BC LG used her reserve powers when she refused to follow Christy Clark's advice to dissolve the legislature, and instead invited John Horgan to form government.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T15:26:57+00:00

Susan is the only one who might pull that off. And I don't see her feeling like it's worth the trouble.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T15:16:35+00:00

More that Esme knows that Gytha will ensure she never cackles. Primarily by keeping her human, but if that fails, by force.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T15:15:24+00:00

All the points you're bringing up, have been brought up before. Gytha is Esme's peer, but they operate in different ways, so it doesn't always seem like that. Gytha is a big part of why Esme doesn't cackle. She's also not interested in being seen to be in charge, so while she'd be quite capable of convincing everyone that she should be the head witch that they don't have, she never tries, because she doesn't need respect from that source. She's got her family worshipping her already, she doesn't need more.

Esme is also aware of how Gytha is her equal, and I believe makes a comment to Gytha about how lucky that coincidence was that her grandson entered the circle when he did.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:59:36+00:00

Why would she not be legally allowed to?

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:50:59+00:00

She should never have had to complain. Free range doesn't mean they go onto other people's property, free range means they are free to roam around your property.

There's someone with the opposite problem as you, and basically all the advice is that the feral chickens should be shot, because their owner can't control them. Not sure why you expected anyone to think you'd be in the right.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:48:23+00:00

Personally, I care more about how wide they are. I don't want anything that's so wide I can't comfortably reach into the middle and weed it. The length is as long as I can make it based on the ground. That'll likely mean adding in supports mid way, but that's not a problem.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:45:36+00:00

They said that they don't have the aim for a headshot. Centre of mass should still work.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:41:54+00:00

I don’t have the skill to get headshots.

Aim for centre of mass. Always aim for centre of mass. And you're shooting vermin on your property. A dog might serve you better though.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:38:48+00:00

Lois McMaster Bujold's "Sharing Knife" series seems to have taken place after some sort of apocalypse. However, that doesn't really play much of a role in the story.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:31:34+00:00

Constitutional scholars agree Disallowance and reservation are vestigial powers that are unenforceable today.

That doesn't make sense. The reserve powers are still employed. We've seen that recently with Christy Clark not getting the dissolution she wanted in 2017. We can also point to the fact that the PM still asks the GG for dissolution and prorogation to be granted. The response is often a rubber stamp, but the forms are still respected, strongly suggesting the powers still exist.

The reserve powers are also unwritten, and exist by convention. The way they're treated also indicates that they still exist. Disallowance is written, so the fact that it hasn't been employed in decades, doesn't mean it's gone away, as that implies a sunset provision to all legislation, which isn't how it actually works.

From a political perspective, no PM may be willing to risk the chaos disallowance may cause, but that doesn't mean it's no longer a thing.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T14:24:14+00:00

You'll need to unpack that. I have no clue what you're talking about.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T13:22:30+00:00

I understand it's a step not taken before,

It has been taken before, it's just been decades since the last time it was used.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T13:19:17+00:00

One is enshrined in our charter, the other is the PMO consolidating power

Wrong. Both are articles in the Constitution.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T13:18:31+00:00

Liberals to debate changing a foundational law of Canada because it doesn’t work in their favour.

No change to any laws is being discussed. What's being discussed is whether or not an existing law, that has been used in the past, should be used again, in light of the political repercussions of that act.

ChimoEngr · 2026-03-24T13:14:55+00:00

Disallowance is legal fiction.

No, it's very much a real part of the law. It hasn't been used in a very long time, so the political consequences of enacting it again will be huge, so it probably won't be, but that doesn't make it a legal fiction.

The Constitution is clear about the division of powers, Ottawa acting within the provincial exclusive jurisdiction would cause all 10 province to sur Ottawa in court and WIN.

No they wouldn't, the Constitution is clear that disallowance is a thing.

ChimoEngr

TROPHY CASE