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Jamie Sarkonak: Francophones right to be mad at Air Canada CEO

A statement of condolences in French is the least he could do to show respect for francophone pilot killed at LaGuardia

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Captain Antoine Forest and First Officer Mackenzie Gunther appear to have spent their last moments decelerating their Air Canada Jazz plane as it barrelled towards a firetruck on the LaGuardia Airport runway last week. Passengers reported feeling the brakes hit hard right before the collision, and one even hit his head on the seat in front of him. That may be why everyone who was on board is still alive except for the pilots, who took an unsurvivable impact.

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Both men made the same sacrifice, but only one of their families heard Air Canada’s subsequent condolence message — delivered in English by CEO Michael Rousseau in a four-minute video — in their language. Forest was a francophone, but Rousseau couldn’t muster anything beyond “bonjour” and “merci” to honour the pilot’s loved ones, a slight so grave that he announced his retirement on Monday.

Jamie Sarkonak: Francophones right to be mad at Air Canada CEO Back to video

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