Quebec government defends use of 'Go Habs Go!' after language watchdog's objection
MONTREAL — The Quebec government has stepped in to defend the phrase 'Go Habs Go!' as the provincial language watchdog takes heat for objecting to the English word 'go.'
In a statement Friday, Quebec's French-language minister said the slogan is part of 'our DNA, our identity,' and has been used for decades to support the Montreal Canadiens NHL hockey team.
'It's a unifying expression, rooted in our history, and part of our cultural and historical specificity,' Jean-Francois Roberge said on the X platform. 'It's a Quebecisme and we're proud of it!'
Roberge's statement was meant to quell the uproar in Quebec over the Montreal transit agency's decision to remove the expression 'Go! Canadiens Go!' from electronic signs on city buses and replace it with 'Allez! Canadiens Allez!' to show support for the hockey team's NHL playoff run.
The change was made because Quebec's French-language watchdog 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 Societe de transport de Montreal (STM) decided to remove the word 'go' from all of its messaging.
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