Details of Air Canada’s 2026 annual meeting & proxy circular

Air Canada’s Notice of 2026 annual meeting of shareholders and management proxy circular is being published and filed today (March 30) where required.

“As we do every year, my fellow Board members and I look forward to reporting to shareholders about Air Canada’s achievements since we last gathered, and hearing from them about what’s on their minds,” said Vagn Sørensen, Air Canada’s Chair of the Board, in a press release.

“This year, we will do so only weeks after the tragic accident involving Air Canada Express Flight AC8646 as it landed at New York LaGuardia Airport on March 22, 2026.

“We offer our deepest condolences to the families and friends of the Jazz Captain and First Officer who lost their lives. We are all profoundly grateful for the actions they took to save the lives of others.”

“Finally, we extend our sincerest sympathies and regret for the distress and any physical injuries experienced by the passengers, crew members and firefighters who were affected by this terrible accident.”

Business of the meeting

The circular contains important information about the matters to be voted on at the meeting, including the election of directors, the appointment of auditors, an advisory vote on executive compensation, an increase in the number of shares reserved for issuance under a long-term incentive plan, the ratification to 2029 of the current shareholder rights plan, and a shareholder proposal.

READ MORE: Air Canada CEO apologizes for English-only message after plane crash

The circular also describes the governance practices of Air Canada’s board of directors, which includes an approach and planning in respect of Board renewal and CEO succession.

It will also review Air Canada’s approach to executive compensation, including a detailed description of the board's assessment of the performance of Air Canada’s named executive officers for fiscal 2025 and related compensation decisions.

“Compensation for 2025 reflects Air Canada's overall performance. It takes into consideration solid financial results, capped by an exceptional fourth quarter, despite significant headwinds, as well as non-financial performance, across nine key areas important to our customers and shareholders,” the airline said.

Finally, the circular reviews Air Canada’s progress on priorities that shareholders care about, such as safety, customer service, accessibility, employee well-being, representation and inclusion, and climate action.

“This also includes our commitment to official languages, which we have proudly maintained for more than 50 years, in a highly complex industry and on a scale and geographic breadth that is unmatched among other major Canadian companies,” the airline said.

Shortly after these details were shared, Michael Rousseau, president and CEO of Air Canada, announced that he will retire from the airline by the end of Q3 this year. 

The annual meeting will take place on Friday (May 1) 2026 at 8:30 a.m. PT (11:30 a.m. ET) in hybrid format allowing attendance in person at TELUS Garden, 510 West Georgia Street, 5th Floor, Vancouver or virtually by logging into a live webcast at aircanada.com/AGM, password “AC2026” (case sensitive).

Additional meeting details can be found on Air Canada’s website here. 

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