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Vancouver Sun
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Vancouver Sun
Quebec language watchdog says it's OK to use 'Go' to support sports teams
MONTREAL — Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word 'go' to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office quebecois de la langue francaise says that while 'allez' is the preferred term, it's now 'partially legitimized' to use the English word to show encouragement. The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word 'go' from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 'go' in June. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 'Go! Canadiens Go!' with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to stay on the watchdog's good side. The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-Francois Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 'Go Habs Go' is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. 'The office had to respond to a political order,' said Benoit Melancon, emeritus professor of French literature at Universite de Montreal. 'The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it.' The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 'go' back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 'beginning its reflection on the subject.' In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 'Go Habs Go' is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word 'go' is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 'exemplary' French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 'go' again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 'allez' in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. The page notes how the anglicism 'go' has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 'well-established' in common parlance. 'It is considered to be partially legitimized,' the entry says. When asked by The Canadian Press to comment on the newly released email correspondence, the watchdog confirmed it had updated its position. 'The office now considers that a public body can use the interjection go in a context of encouragement … without this compromising the duty of exemplarity incumbent upon it under the Charter of the French Language,' spokesperson Gilles Payer told The Canadian Press in an email. Payer confirmed the entry was newly published on May 30. 'The media coverage of the case concerning the use of the borrowed word 'go' in a sports context led the office to officially assess the acceptability' of the word, he said. Melancon, the French literature professor, said the new rationale — especially the term 'partially legitimized' — suggests the office was uneasy with the change. 'This must have given rise to some pretty intense internal debates,' he said. ''Do we take into account what the minister is telling us or do we not take it into account? If we don't take it into account, what are the consequences? If we do, how do we justify changing our minds?'' At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' in support of Montreal's professional soccer club. She called the issue a 'grey zone' in a June 2024 email to colleagues. 'We've been using the word 'go' for years without a problem,' she wrote. 'Are we going to change everything because of one complaint?' But by later that month, the agency had decided to scrap the word, which involved manually updating the display on each of more than 1,000 buses over a period of months. The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word 'go' in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request. In 2023, someone complained about the slogan 'Go Habs Go' appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark. A similar complaint in 2021 targeted the hashtag #GoHabsGo that appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. The person who filed the complaint suggested that to comply with Quebec's language rules, the expression 'Allez les Habitants allez' should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. 'And yes, I'm serious, if the law applies, then apply it! :)' the person wrote. According to the language watchdog, that complaint was resolved following an intervention, though it provided no details. A spokesperson for the hockey team declined to comment. The #GoHabsGo sign remains in place. Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
Winnipeg Free Press
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use ‘go' to support sports teams
MONTREAL – Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word 'go' to cheer on sports teams. In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while 'allez' is the preferred term, it's now 'partially legitimized' to use the English word to show encouragement. The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word 'go' from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses. The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 'go' in June. The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 'Go! Canadiens Go!' with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to stay on the watchdog's good side. The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 'Go Habs Go' is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed. That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert. 'The office had to respond to a political order,' said Benoît Melançon, emeritus professor of French literature at Université de Montréal. 'The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it.' The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 'go' back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 'beginning its reflection on the subject.' In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 'Go Habs Go' is anchored in Quebec's history. Still, she went on to say that the word 'go' is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 'exemplary' French, which includes using only French words in their signage. Emails released to The Canadian Press show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 'go' again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 'allez' in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec. The page notes how the anglicism 'go' has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 'well-established' in common parlance. 'It is considered to be partially legitimized,' the entry says. When asked by The Canadian Press to comment on the newly released email correspondence, the watchdog confirmed it had updated its position. 'The office now considers that a public body can use the interjection go in a context of encouragement … without this compromising the duty of exemplarity incumbent upon it under the Charter of the French Language,' spokesperson Gilles Payer told The Canadian Press in an email. Payer confirmed the entry was newly published on May 30. 'The media coverage of the case concerning the use of the borrowed word 'go' in a sports context led the office to officially assess the acceptability' of the word, he said. Melançon, the French literature professor, said the new rationale – especially the term 'partially legitimized' – suggests the office was uneasy with the change. 'This must have given rise to some pretty intense internal debates,' he said. ''Do we take into account what the minister is telling us or do we not take it into account? If we don't take it into account, what are the consequences? If we do, how do we justify changing our minds?'' At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' in support of Montreal's professional soccer club. She called the issue a 'grey zone' in a June 2024 email to colleagues. 'We've been using the word 'go' for years without a problem,' she wrote. 'Are we going to change everything because of one complaint?' But by later that month, the agency had decided to scrap the word, which involved manually updating the display on each of more than 1,000 buses over a period of months. The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word 'go' in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request. In 2023, someone complained about the slogan 'Go Habs Go' appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark. A similar complaint in 2021 targeted the hashtag #GoHabsGo that appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. The person who filed the complaint suggested that to comply with Quebec's language rules, the expression 'Allez les Habitants allez' should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. 'And yes, I'm serious, if the law applies, then apply it! :)' the person wrote. According to the language watchdog, that complaint was resolved following an intervention, though it provided no details. A spokesperson for the hockey team declined to comment. The #GoHabsGo sign remains in place. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025.
National Observer
30-05-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before the Habs playoff run
Quebec's language watchdog contacted the Montreal transit agency at least six times in the wake of a complaint about using the word "go" on city buses to cheer on a local soccer team. The watchdog — the Office québécois de la langue française — asked for multiple updates on the agency's efforts to remove the word, and kept the complaint open for nine months until 'go' had been scrubbed from more than 1,000 city buses in Montreal, according to emails obtained by The Canadian Press. The correspondence contrasts with the office's public comments responding to an April report in the Montreal Gazette that revealed how the transit agency had replaced the expression 'Go! Canadiens Go!' on its buses with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to appease the watchdog. The news report, coinciding with the Montreal Canadiens' first home game of the Stanley Cup playoffs, prompted a public outcry and elicited a declaration from French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge in support of the expression 'Go Habs Go!' At that time, the watchdog said it had 'contacted the (transit agency) to inform it of the complaint and remind it of its obligations under the (French-language) charter.' But the office didn't share details about the length of its review and the number of times it pressed transit officials for updates. The internal correspondence reveals how an adviser for the language office sent at least six emails to the transit agency between May 2024 and January 2025, informing the agency of a complaint and asking about its plans to fix the problem. The documents were obtained under access-to-information law. The complaint, received on April 29, 2024, related to city buses displaying the expression 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' – a reference to Montreal's professional soccer club. The transit agency initially responded to the language office in June 2024, explaining that such slogans give bus drivers 'a way to salute national sports teams.' Using the word 'go' kept the message shorter and prevented it from scrolling across the buses' electronic displays, the email explained. Still, the agency agreed to remove the word, but warned the process could take several months. In response, the adviser asked why the change couldn't be made 'over a few days when the vehicles are in the garage.' The transit agency replied that each bus had to have its display changed manually, using a USB key. In July, the language watchdog informed the agency that the complaint would remain open until all the buses had been changed. The adviser then followed up two more times over the fall and winter to request updates. Eventually, the transit agency reported in January that 1,002 of its 1,104 buses had been updated, and the remaining 102 buses were out of service. The language office then agreed to close the complaint, on condition that each of the remaining buses would be updated before returning to service. In an email statement to The Canadian Press, a spokesperson for the language watchdog said the correspondence is 'part of a normal process for handling a complaint.' The language office never received a complaint about 'Go Habs Go' and was never informed that the transit agency was planning not to use the word 'go' in relation to the hockey team, said Gilles Payer. He said the office would not have pursued a complaint about 'Go Habs Go,' since the expression is a trademark, which does not need to be translated. A spokesperson for Roberge told The Canadian Press the minister was not aware of the issue until the change was first reported in April. But the documents show his own department was informed of the complaint shortly after it was received and intended to participate in the review. According to Quebec's French-language charter, complaints involving public bodies must be flagged to the French-language department. The department did not respond to questions about its role in response to this complaint. Roberge's spokesperson Thomas Verville said the language office received more than 10,000 complaints last year. 'The minister does not intervene in the complaints received' by the office, he said. 'That would be political interference.' Still, Roberge announced in April that he had held 'several discussions' with the language office, and that any future complaints about the expression 'Go Habs Go' would 'be deemed inadmissible.' He said the slogan has been used for decades to support the Montreal Canadiens. He also said employees of the language office were receiving threats. Verville said there is a 'huge difference' between using the word 'go' in reference to the Montreal soccer team as compared to the Montreal Canadiens. He said fans of CF Montréal typically chant 'Allez Montréal' during matches, while 'Go Habs Go' has long been part of Quebec culture. He added Roberge spoke out specifically to defend the expression 'Go Habs Go,' which was not the subject of the original complaint. He did not say whether the minister opposes the use of the word 'go' in reference to other sports teams. A spokesperson for the transit agency said it is still in discussions with the language office to 'obtain official confirmation that we are allowed to use the word 'go' in a sporting context and that we will not be penalized if we do so.' The agency says no change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 30, 2025.
Fox Sports
24-04-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
Montreal buses change 'Go! Canadiens Go!' signage to French after complaints to language watchdog
Associated Press MONTREAL (AP) — City buses in Montreal have dropped the expression 'Go! Canadiens Go!' following a complaint to Quebec's language watchdog. Montreal's transit agency is now using the French expression 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' on the electronic displays on the front of its buses to show support for the Montreal Canadiens' NHL playoff run. The decision was made because the word 'go' is an anglicism, said spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay. The expression 'Go Habs Go!' is used extensively in Quebec to support the Montreal hockey team. It is also used widely by the team itself, including on social media. The hashtag #GoHabsGo appears in oversized letters outside the Bell Centre in Montreal, the home arena of the Canadiens. Tremblay said Quebec's French-language office received a complaint last year about buses displaying the words 'Go! CF Mtl Go!' — a reference to Montreal's professional soccer club. In response, the Société de transport de Montréal (STM) decided to change the word 'go' with 'allez' — the French equivalent — on all of its messaging. Tremblay said it 'maintains team spirit' while complying with Quebec's recent overhaul of its French language charter. The agency has been gradually changing the language on its fleet of buses since the end of last summer. Tremblay said the modification must be made manually on each bus, so the work was only completed earlier this year. The change was first reported Thursday by the Montreal Gazette. A spokesperson for the Montreal Canadiens declined to comment on the matter. The team clinched a playoff spot last week, and trails 2-0 in the best-of-seven matchup against the Washington Capitals. The Canadiens host Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday. In Quebec City on Thursday, the move was widely panned by opposition parties, including the Parti Québécois, which positions itself as a champion of the French language. 'We have other priorities for the French language in Quebec,' said PQ legislature member Catherine Gentilcore, adding that leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will continue to use #GoHabsGo on the X platform. The Quebec Community Groups Network, which represents English-speaking Quebecers, dismissed the decision as 'silliness' in a social media post. 'EVERYONE yells #GoHabsGo! at the Bell Centre,' the group said. 'Our buses should be allowed to do the same.' recommended in this topic
Washington Post
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Montreal buses change 'Go! Canadiens Go!' signage to French after complaints to language watchdog
MONTREAL — City buses in Montreal have dropped the expression 'Go! Canadiens Go!' following a complaint to Quebec's language watchdog. Montreal's transit agency is now using the French expression 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' on the electronic displays on the front of its buses to show support for the Montreal Canadiens' NHL playoff run. The decision was made because the word 'go' is an anglicism, said spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay.
