Montreal buses change ‘Go! Canadiens Go!' signage to French after complaints to language watchdog
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.
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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.'
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