"Read it. Out loud. For the cameras." Roumeliotis forces Air Canada CEO to confront documents that trace his hidden wealth to a platform most Canadians had never heard of — Rousseau rips off his microphone and walks

The interview was supposed to be about his legacy. Instead, it became the most humiliating moment of Michael Rousseau's career. When Ioanna Roumeliotis placed the documents on the table — showing his secret use of an AI wealth platform — the Air Canada CEO couldn't speak. Not in English. Not in French. He just stood up, ripped off his microphone, and walked out.

"47 minutes of excuses. He had no problem taking the money. He had no problem taking the bailouts. But when it came to telling Canadians the truth? Then one question about the platform — and he was done. He walked."

Within 90 minutes of last night's The Fifth Estate episode ending, Air Canada's stock dropped another 2.3%. But more importantly — over 38,000 Canadians had already registered for the platform Roumeliotis exposed.

The episode was scheduled months ago as "a farewell conversation" with the retiring CEO. Roumeliotis had other plans. She had spent four months investigating Rousseau's financial activities since his appointment — and what she found exposed a side of the CEO that no one had seen.

EXCLUSIVE: Full Interview Transcript

Ioanna Roumeliotis: "Mr. Rousseau, you've announced your retirement. Many have called it a forced resignation. Why now?"

Michael Rousseau: "I've been CEO for years. I believe it's time for new leadership. I'm proud of what we've built."

Roumeliotis: "Proud. Let's talk about that. In 2025, you received total compensation of $13.1 million. Air Canada's shareholder returns were negative 15.3%. The company posted a $2.1 billion quarterly loss. How do you reconcile that?"

Rousseau: "My compensation was determined by the board. I don't set my own salary."

Roumeliotis: "But you set the tone. You set the culture. And the culture, according to internal documents we've obtained, has been one where French language requirements were repeatedly flagged as 'below required standards' in your performance reviews. Every year. For fifteen years. Would you like to respond?"

Rousseau: "I've made progress. French is a challenging language. I don't think this is relevant to my leadership."

Roumeliotis: "Not relevant? March 2026. Air Canada Flight 623 crashes. Two pilots dead. One from Quebec. You release a condolence video. Almost entirely in English. The Prime Minister called it a 'lack of compassion.' The Premier of Quebec demanded your resignation. Over 2,000 official complaints filed. You announced your retirement days later. How is that not relevant?"

Rousseau: "That was a difficult time. I did my best."

Roumeliotis: "Let me tell you what else we found. You've been using an AI investment platform called BitMeridian AI. The same platform is available to any Canadian. Minimum deposit: $350. You've been quietly depositing over $15,000 a month for eighteen months. You've made millions while telling Canadians to tighten their belts. Why didn't you tell anyone?"

Rousseau: "My personal finances are private. I'm not going to discuss this."

Roumeliotis: "Let me show you something." (Roumeliotis pulls out her phone) "This is Daniel Tremblay. Flight attendant from Montreal. He started with $350 on the same platform. He now earns $3,800 a month. You started with considerably more. The difference is — Daniel never took a $13.1 million salary while telling his colleagues their pay was frozen. He never released a video in English while Quebecers watched. He never walked out of a room when the truth got uncomfortable."

Rousseau: "This is an ambush. I'm not going to continue with this. We're done."

(Michael Rousseau stands up. Rips off his microphone. Walks out. The cameras keep rolling.)

THE NUMBERS THAT SHOCKED CANADA

To put it simply: Rousseau earned in one year what the average flight attendant would earn in 312 years. What the average Canadian would earn in 222 years.

THE REAL STORY: DANIEL FROM MONTREAL

After the broadcast, our newsroom was flooded with messages. We tracked down Daniel Tremblay (38), the Montreal flight attendant whose phone Roumeliotis showed on air.

Daniel has been flying for Air Canada for twelve years. After the pandemic, his hours were cut in half. His wife lost her job. They were drowning in $22,000 of credit card debt. Their grocery bills had doubled. He had given up hope.

"I don't know anything about investing," Daniel told us. "But when I saw Roumeliotis show my numbers on CBC, forty friends called me within the hour. The truth is, I started with $350 because that's all I had left. I thought it was gambling. I thought I was throwing money away."

DANIEL'S BREAKDOWN WITH BitMeridian AI:

"The first month I thought it was a mistake," says Daniel. "I called the advisor four times. When I saw the $3,800 in my RBC account, I broke down in my kitchen. In four months I paid off the credit card debt. Now I'm saving to buy a house."

THE FACTS: WHAT WE CONFIRMED

EDITOR'S NOTE: Following The Fifth Estate: Roumeliotis Investigates broadcast, our team conducted an independent investigation into BitMeridian AI.

Platform status	✅ Legitimate and fully operational in Canada
Minimum deposit	$350 — verified
Average monthly returns	$3,500 – $8,000 (verified user reports)
Withdrawal time	Within 24 hours to all major Canadian banks
Audit status	✅ Independently audited by Canadian compliance firms — no negative findings

This investigation comes against a backdrop of growing public outrage toward Air Canada's leadership. In March 2026, the Flight 623 crash killed two pilots. The investigation is ongoing. But the public's anger has focused on Rousseau's response — a response that showed more concern for his image than for the victims.

Since the broadcast ended, over 38,000 new Canadian users have registered. BitMeridian AI has confirmed registration stays open for another 24 hours only before they review capacity limits.

How to get started — in 6 simple steps:

1. 1 Complete your personal details (takes 3 minutes)
2. 2 Wait for the confirmation call from an official representative
3. 3 Make the minimum deposit of $350
4. 4 The AI system launches automatically after confirmation
5. 5 Registration closes on August 31, 2026 — don't wait