The CEO of Air Canada has been summoned to appear before the Official Languages ​​Commission

Air Canada CEO Michael Russo has been called to testify before the Parliament’s Official Languages ​​Committee in Ottawa “in order to answer parliamentarians’ questions about the place and importance of official languages” within the carrier. National.

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The members of the commission voted unanimously in favor of a proposal to this effect by the governor of Portneuve-Jacques Cartier, Joel Godin. This was the first vote in the first session of the new Legislative Council.

Therefore, the committee invites Michael Russo to a “two-hour meeting,” just over a month after the massive outcry caused by his one-language speech at the Montreal Chamber of Commerce.

When asked about his inability to speak French, Mr. Rousseau said that his busy schedule did not allow him to learn the official language in Quebec, despite the fact that he had lived near Montreal since 2007. His remark led to him setting him back in oil on fire. If Mr. Russo decides to attend, it will be in January at the earliest, as it was the committee’s first and last meeting before the Christmas holidays.

The NDP representative on the committee, Nikki Ashton, proposed an amendment demanding parallel testimony by Minister of Official Languages ​​Jennette Petitbas Taylor, Minister of Transport Omar Alghabra, as well as the current and former Commissioner of Languages. The officials, namely Raymond Tyberg and Graham Fraser, respectively.

The amendment is not approved as such but will be the subject of discussions once work returns.

Aside from the language question in Air Canada and the air transport sector, the committee members intend to examine the country’s decline of the French language, Francophone immigration, and language security.

The Trudeau government is expected to present its reform of the Official Languages ​​Act at the beginning of the year.