April 1, 2026
SHARE
Short Cuts
#1340 Air Canada CEO’s French Exit
Air Canada’s CEO retires early following backlash around his inability to speak French. 
Jesse Brown
Host & Publisher
James Nicholson
Producer
Caleb Thompson
Audio Editor
max collins
Director of Audio

An English-only statement from Michael Rousseau following the tragic accident at LaGuardia airport sparked a heated debate around bilingualism. Politicians expressed their disappointment, columnists and commenters online debated Air Canada’s language requirements. Even Elon Musk weighed in.  

 

Should we get serious about bilingualism or is this debate a sign that we’re not a serious country?  

 

Host: Jesse Brown 

Credits: James Nicholson (Producer), Kallan Lyons (Associate Producer and Fact Checking), Caleb Thompson (Audio Editor and Technical Producer), max collins (Director of Audio), Jesse Brown (Editor)

Guest: Douglas Soltys

 

 

Further reading: 

 

Sponsors: 

 

Squarespace: Check out Squarespace.com/canadaland for a free trial, and when you’re ready to launch use code canadaland to save 10% off your first purchase of a website or domain

 

Fizz: Visit fizz.ca and activate a first plan using the referral code CAN40 to get 40$ off and 10GB of free data.

 

Douglas:  Douglas is giving our listeners a FREE Sleep Bundle with each mattress purchase. Get the sheets, pillows, mattress and pillow protectors FREE with your Douglas purchase today.  Visit douglas.ca/canadaland to claim this offer.

If you value this podcast, Support us! You’ll get premium access to all our shows ad free, including early releases and bonus content. You’ll also get our exclusive newsletter, discounts on merch at our store, tickets to our live and virtual events, and more than anything, you’ll be a part of the solution to Canada’s journalism crisis, you’ll be keeping our work free and accessible to everybody. 

More from this series
He said he’d move fast, but what’s the hold up?
April 17, 2026
With peace talks stalled, Trump’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and the ceasefire set to expire next week, the situation in Iran is precarious.
April 15, 2026
Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu crosses the floor to the Liberal government.
April 10, 2026
Jeremy Hansen makes history as the first Canadian to travel to the moon, but why is Canada on board with this latest iteration of the space race? 
April 8, 2026
Two major legal rulings against social media giants in the US are being heralded as the “Big Tobacco” moment for Big Tech. 
April 3, 2026
Air Canada’s CEO retires early following backlash around his inability to speak French. 
April 1, 2026
The NDP is picking a new leader, but can any of the candidates lead them back to relevance? 
March 27, 2026
How does Rogan fit into Poilievre’s larger strategic shift?
March 25, 2026
all podcasts arrow All Podcasts
Short Cuts