March 2026 handed communicators another reminder that tone, timing and audience awareness are not optional. Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau announced plans to step down after intense backlash over a condolence video released following the deadly LaGuardia crash involving an Air Canada Jazz flight. The problem was not that he said too much. It was that he said the wrong thing to the wrong audience in the wrong way. His message was delivered almost entirely in English, despite the airline being based in Montreal, serving a bilingual country and mourning at least one French-speaking Quebec pilot. The response was swift. Quebec lawmakers called for his resignation. Canada’s prime minister said the decision to retire was appropriate. The episode moved from tragedy to communications failure in a matter of days.
Public relations people say “know your audience” so often it risks sounding like wallpaper. This week it looked more like a warning light.
What happened in the Air Canada communications controversy?
Two pilots died after a crash at LaGuardia Airport in New York on March 22. In moments like that, the public does not expect a polished performance. They expect humanity, judgment and respect. Rousseau released a four-minute condolence video that used only brief French phrases, while the message’s substance was in English. In Quebec, where language is not a small detail but a defining part of identity, that landed badly. According to a Business Insider article, roughly 80% of Quebec residents speak French as their first language. This was not a market segment oversight. It was a failure to understand what the moment required from the people hearing it.
Why did the Air Canada response become a PR problem so quickly?
That is where the PR lesson becomes painfully clear.
Your audience is not whoever happens to receive your message. Your audience is the group whose emotions, expectations, culture and context determine how that message will be judged.
Too many leaders still believe communication is mostly about transmission. We said it. We posted it. We issued the statement. Box checked. That mindset is how brands walk straight into avoidable trouble. Communication is not judged by what you meant. It is judged by what people heard, what they felt and what they believe your message says about them.
In this case, French-speaking Canadians did not hear a leader honoring victims in a way that reflected the country and the airline he represented. Many heard a leader who still did not understand them. That mattered even more because Rousseau had already faced criticism in 2021 over his inability to speak French and had said then that he intended to improve. When a known issue comes back in a crisis, it does not return quietly. It returns with receipts.
How should PR teams evaluate audience expectations before a crisis response?
This is where skilled PR people earn their keep.
A strong communicator in that room should have asked a few obvious questions before the camera ever turned on.
Who is grieving?
Who is most likely to feel unseen?
What expectations already exist?
What baggage are we bringing into this moment?
What would respect look like to the people receiving this message?
Those questions are not cosmetic. They are strategy.
Why is audience perception more important than executive intent?
I have said for years that PR is about perception. Not fantasy. Not spin. Perception. If the audience believes your message lacks empathy, then the message lacks empathy for all practical purposes. You do not get to argue your way out of that after the fact. You have to anticipate it before the message goes live.
That is why audience knowledge has to run deeper than a target demographic slide in a kickoff deck. It means understanding history, cultural expectations, political sensitivities and the emotional temperature of the moment. In Canada, language is not simply a preference. It is tied to identity, representation and power. A bilingual response was not a nice extra.
What happens when PR is brought in too late?
There is another lesson here for executives who still treat communications as a cleanup crew instead of a strategic function.
If your communications team is brought in after the message is already written, approved or recorded, you are not using PR. You are using spellcheck.
The best PR counsel does not just edit sentences. It pressure-tests assumptions. It catches blind spots. It asks uncomfortable questions before the public does. It helps leaders understand that every message has multiple audiences at once. In this case, there were employees, grieving families, Quebec officials, federal leaders, customers, investors and the broader public. A message that may have sounded acceptable inside one room clearly did not survive contact with the real world.
Could this PR crisis have been prevented?
Let’s be honest, yes.
No one expected poetry. They expected care. A bilingual statement from the beginning would not have erased the tragedy, but it likely would have prevented the secondary crisis that followed. Instead of keeping the focus where it belonged, on the victims and their families, the story shifted to the CEO’s judgment and whether he respected the audience he was addressing. That is what happens when a communications error becomes more visible than the empathy you meant to convey.
What should brands and leaders learn from this moment?
For brands and leaders, the takeaway is straightforward.
Before you speak, ask not only what you want to say but who needs to hear it, how they are likely to receive it and what your message signals about your respect for them.
Audience awareness is not soft. It is not optional. It is not something you tack on once the “real business” is handled. It is the real business. Because when people are emotional, grieving or angry, they do not grade on intent. They grade on impact.
And impact is where PR lives.
A message can be factually accurate and still fail.
A statement can be sincere and still miss.
A leader can speak quickly and still say the wrong thing.
That is why knowing your audience remains one of the oldest rules in communications and one of the most ignored.
Why is knowing your audience one of the most important rules in PR?
Because the cost of getting it wrong can be far higher than one bad headline. It can reshape trust, leadership credibility and the future of the brand itself.
That is not a language problem.
That is a listening problem.
Need a PR team that knows how to read the room?
TrizCom PR helps brands shape messages that connect with the right audience at the right time. When the stakes are high, smart strategy, strong storytelling and clear audience insight make all the difference. Let’s talk.
Until next week – keep on, keeping on.
Jo
Everyone has a story. Let TrizCom PR help tell yours.
About the Author:
Jo Trizila – Founder & CEO of TrizCom PR
Jo Trizila is the founder and CEO of TrizCom PR, a leading Dallas-based public relations firm known for delivering strategic communications that drive business growth and enhance brand reputations as well as Pitch PR, a press release distribution agency. With over 25 years of experience in PR and marketing, Jo has helped countless organizations navigate complex communication challenges, ranging from crisis management to brand storytelling. Under her leadership, TrizCom PR has earned recognition for its results-driven approach, combining traditional and integrated digital strategies to deliver impactful, measurable outcomes for clients across various industries, including healthcare, technology and nonprofit sectors. Jo is passionate about helping businesses amplify their voices and connect with audiences meaningfully. Her hands-on approach and commitment to excellence have established TrizCom PR as a trusted partner for companies seeking to elevate their brand and achieve lasting success. Contact Jo at jo@TrizCom.com.