Air Canada CEO apologizes for English-only remarks after Carney criticism

March 26 (Reuters) - Air Canada AC.TO CEO Michael Rousseau on Thursday apologized for expressing condolences after a fatal crash in English and ​not in French, the country's second official language, after coming under criticism from Prime Minister Mark Carney.

Rousseau said he was "deeply saddened" that his inability to speak French had diverted attention from the profound grief of the victims' families.

Carney on Wednesday called Rousseau's English-only message a lack of "judgment" and "compassion". An Air Canada jet struck a fire truck on Sunday night as ​it landed at New York's LaGuardia Airport, killing both pilots.

Although Air ​Canada is officially bilingual, Rousseau - a native English-speaker - issued a ⁠four-minute video that only featured two words in French. Parliament's language committee ​voted on Tuesday to summon him to Ottawa to discuss the matter.

Language ⁠is a sensitive issue in Canada, particularly in predominantly French-speaking Quebec, the second-most populous of the 10 provinces.

Rousseau said the airline was cooperating with U.S. and Canadian authorities.