You're at a disadvantage if you only speak English

Michael Rousseau did not have the skills he needed to run Air Canada

Prince George, BC, May 19, 2026/ - Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau resigned from his position soon after failing to address the Canadian public in both official languages following a tragic accident at La Guardia Airport in New York on March 22.

Rousseau’s resignation sparked significant criticism in English Canada. Online comments to articles discussing the issue included many accusations of pandering to Quebec and Canada’s French-speaking minority.

Air Canada, however, is a bilingual company. Rousseau refused to become fluent in French and was therefore not suited for his position.

The negative reaction to Rousseau’s resignation reflects a prevalent attitude in English-speaking North America: that if one speaks English, one does not need to learn another language. As the global employment market becomes more competitive, however, anglophones need to ask themselves whether this mindset is serving them.

Anglophone North America is one of the few regions of the world where a person speaking only one language can be considered educated. European high school graduates are not only fluent in their own language, but they are also typically capable of continuing their studies in a second language and can often function in a third. Every educated person in India, the Philippines, or on the African continent is fluent in at least one indigenous language (often several) and educated in at least one European language. In Canada, it is rare to find an educated francophone who does not also speak English.

A 2023 article in Forbes points out that in the United States, multilingual employees earn 19% more than their English-only counterparts. This is consistent with data from other countries. I can attest to the fact that professional competence in a second language, accompanied by functional skills in a third, has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars in additional earnings every year, and that has been the case for much of my career. This does not even take into consideration the exceptional professional opportunities that have come my way simply due to multilingualism.

Of course, there are numerous motivators for learning other languages that are not tied to earnings. English, like any language, has its limits, especially with regard to personal and cultural expression. Knowing another language broadens our perspective and allows us to embrace a much wider view of the world around us. We’re able to enjoy literature, music, and cinema. We’re able to take in other outlooks, and we can talk to, and learn from, more people. There are even health benefits to being at least bilingual.

Given the disadvantages anglophones have created for themselves, it is puzzling why any cultural group would have chosen monolingualism. Perhaps it is our geographic isolation in much of North America. Perhaps it is the fact that many speakers of other languages like to learn English. Perhaps it is the cultural arrogance that has grown out of British colonialism, a mindset that tried to intentionally erase many indigenous languages, from Ireland to New Zealand. All of these need to be faced with honesty, and corrected.

The logical place to begin to address anglophone monolingualism is in our education system. In British Columbia, students in the English stream begin learning a second language in Grade 5, but this requirement ends in Grade 8. That said, our French Immersion programs are excellent. Beyond this, we seem to be moving in the wrong direction. Virtually no post-secondary institutions in anglophone Canada require second language learning for entry, and very few university programs require second language study for graduation.

It cannot be denied that English is the dominant language in many professional fields; however, second-language English speakers often have exceptional fluency. In a competitive global job market, many monolingual anglophones, like Michael Rousseau, will therefore find themselves at a significant disadvantage.

Addressing this fact is not kowtowing to a linguistic minority; it is facing an economic reality.