Excusez-moi? Incoming CN Rail CEO pledges to learn French
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With Canadian National Railway Ltd. announcing Tracy Robinson as its next chief executive officer, the company was quick to get ahead of a potential crisis before it even began.
With Canadian National Railway Ltd. announcing Tracy Robinson as its next chief executive officer, the company was quick to get ahead of a potential crisis before it even began.
"Ms. Robinson fully understands and respects Quebec’s rich cultural and linguistic reality and distinctiveness and has made it a personal priority to build proficiency in French," CN said in a statement late Tuesday announcing the company's management and board changes as JJ Ruest plans to step down next month.
The line, buried near the bottom of the news release, recalled how Quebec-based corporate giants are looking to steer clear of angering the province's francophone population by appointing highly-skilled candidates in top executive positions.
When Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau took over the airline's top job last year, there was a significant outcry - including one protest demanding his resignation - once it was discovered that he didn't speak French fluently.
"I have been able to live in Montreal without speaking French, and I think that’s a testament to the city of Montreal," Rousseau told reporters at the time.
The comment led Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to state Rousseau’s lack of French was "an unacceptable situation.” Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland wrote a letter to Air Canada's board of directors that asked for Rousseau's French-language skills to be one of the factors used when evaluating his annual performance while also ensuring that speaking French be an "important criterion" for job promotions at the airline.
