WestJet requires its French-speaking employees to be proficient in English

The WestJet check-in area at Pearson International Airport is photographed in Toronto, Saturday, June 29, 2024. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press)

WestJet, the country’s second-largest airline, is making English proficiency a hiring requirement, with the result that none of its 16,000 current employees speaks only French—a situation that has led to accusations of discrimination.

The information was revealed on Thursday during a meeting of a parliamentary committee studying regulations to protect French, in response to a question from the Conservative spokesperson on official languages, Joël Godin.

Ironically, given his level of English proficiency, the MP made a simple observation: “They couldn’t hire me,” he laughed in an interview with The Canadian Press.

And while English is mandatory, the company says it does not currently know what proportion of its employees can speak French.

Turning to the Bloc Québécois, spokesperson Mario Beaulieu asked a company executive if there wasn’t “discrimination involved here.”

“In Quebec, we systematically hire bilingual staff because, obviously, on board our aircraft, we must provide service in both languages,” replied vice president Lyne Chayer.

Beaulieu countered that there is “an imbalance,” given that the company has employees who speak only English.

“It’s standard practice for another employee to provide service if someone can’t... If you require bilingualism from all employees in Quebec, it should be required of all employees, period, in my opinion,” he said.

A lawyer for the company, Tristan Joanette, who was also testifying, indicated that a francization committee will look into the matter “very seriously.”

“We are aware that before imposing requirements to speak English in Quebec, it is truly necessary to ensure such requirements are warranted,” he stated.

Legislators are putting the finishing touches on the rules that will govern the implementation of a law allowing people to be served and to work in French in private companies under federal jurisdiction in Quebec and in regions with a strong Francophone presence, with the exception of those subject to the Official Languages Act.

The businesses covered include banks, telecommunications companies, and interprovincial transportation companies, such as airlines.

During the meeting, WestJet expressed great satisfaction with having improved its services for Francophones, including through in-flight menus, the in-flight magazine, and the telephone experience.

“For us, this is not just a regulatory obligation, but also an important part of the guest experience and the relationship of trust we want to build with French-speaking travellers across the country,” said Chayer.

Thrilled, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, Madeleine Chenette, congratulated the company. “That’s music to our ears,” she said.

In practice, Godin pointed out to company officials that he was unable to view the WestJet website in French. The MP therefore took the liberty of offering them “a little advice” to fix this, especially since they want to grow in Quebec.

But, in fact, a French version is available.

“It’s just that you have to scroll all the way down to the very bottom of the site to select the language. We’re in the process of reviewing that,” replied Chayer.

The draft regulation specifies the list of criteria for determining which regions of the country have a “strong Francophone presence.”

Quebec is already fully covered, according to what has been decreed in the law. The proposal would make New Brunswick the only other province to be covered from one end to the other. Elsewhere in the country, the criteria allow for targeting specific regions.

In the case of airlines, service in French is already available at the company’s counters in all airports across the country, as airport authorities have delegated this responsibility to them under the Official Languages Act.

For WestJet, the rules would apply to flights departing from or arriving in one of the covered regions. The officials who testified also indicated that their “biggest challenge” will be recruiting flight attendants who speak French or providing French-language training to current employees.

But the Calgary-based carrier is very reluctant to accept the suggestion from Francophone advocacy groups, which have repeatedly asked lawmakers to add provincial capitals to the list.

“That would be a major step,” said their lawyer, Joanette.

“Obviously, in a perfect world, WestJet would absolutely love to offer service in French on every one of its flights, but to achieve that, it takes manpower.”

The regulation under discussion would take effect two years after its adoption. And the law from which it stems was passed nearly three years ago.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on May 30, 2026.