TORONTO, March 27 -- The chief executive of Air Canada apologized Thursday for his inability to express himself in French after politicians called for his resignation for his English-only message of condolence after Sunday's deadly crash in New York.

Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau has been criticized for the four-minute condolence video posted online that included only two French words - "bonjour" and "merci."

"I am deeply saddened that my inability to speak French has diverted attention from the profound grief of the families and the great resilience of Air Canada's employees, who have demonstrated outstanding professionalism despite the events of the past few days," Rousseau said in a statement.

"Despite many lessons over several ye...