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Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run
Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run

CBC

time4 days ago

  • General
  • CBC

Quebec language office pressed transit agency for months before Habs playoff run

Social Sharing 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. WATCH | 'Go' has got to go: No more 'Go! Canadiens Go!' on Montreal buses after language watchdog intervenes 1 month ago Duration 2:36 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. Context is important when using 'go,' says minister's office 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 ministry 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 Ministry. The ministry 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."

Video Shows Moment Emmanuel Macron Pushed in Face by Wife
Video Shows Moment Emmanuel Macron Pushed in Face by Wife

Newsweek

time26-05-2025

  • Politics
  • Newsweek

Video Shows Moment Emmanuel Macron Pushed in Face by Wife

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Footage has been released showing the moment French President Emmanuel Macron was shoved in the face by his wife, Brigitte Macron. The video was taken by The Associated Press news agency and confirmed by the president and his office, who both said the clip showed the couple "horsing around." Why It Matters The couple landed in Vietnam on Sunday as the first stop on a weeklong tour of Southeast Asia, before they carry on to Indonesia and Singapore. The French president is there for meetings in a region he described as a "key crossroads of global trade" to show "France is present and acting with its partners." But headlines have instead been dominated by the clip of Brigitte Macron pushing her husband's face with both hands. The couple have long attracted public scrutiny, as the French first lady, 72, was a married mother-of-three when she met Emmanuel Macron, 47, at his then high school, where she was a teacher and a supervisor of the drama club of which her now-husband was a member. France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pose for photos at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam on Monday, May 26, 2025. France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron pose for photos at the Presidential Palace in Hanoi, Vietnam on Monday, May 26, 2025. AP What To Know Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron landed in Hanoi, Vietnam, on Sunday evening, when the now-viral clip was filmed. It shows a man in uniform opening the plane door to reveal the president before an arm in a red sleeve reaches out from a part of the plane that is out of view and pushes his face. Emmanuel Macron turned his head away and then, appearing to realize he was in view of cameras, smiled and waved. After this scene, the president and his wife, who was wearing a red jacket, descended down the stairs from the plane. The French leader appeared to offer his arm to his wife, but she did not take it. 📱 "Un moment de complicité" entre Emmanuel et Brigitte #Macron. ✋ L'Élysée a voulu désamorcer la polémique après que des images très relayées sur les réseaux sociaux ont montré le président français recevoir une main au visage de la part de son épouse — FRANCE 24 Français (@France24_fr) May 26, 2025 The term "Emmanuel Macron" is currently trending on X, with multiple outlets and accounts sharing the clip, garnering tens of thousands of views. The president has responded, saying: "We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife. It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe." Similarly, his office said: "It was a moment where the president and his wife were decompressing one last time before the start of the trip by horsing around. It's a moment of complicity. It was all that was needed to give ammunition to the conspiracy theorists." What People Are Saying Emmanuel Macron posted on X about his current Southeast Asia tour: "It is in this region of the Indo-Pacific that part of our future, for all of us, French women and men, is being played out. "I come here to strengthen our ties in essential areas: defense, innovation, energy transition, cultural exchanges," he added. What Happens Next Although Emmanuel Macron and his office have downplayed the incident, it is still being discussed at length on social media. It remains to be seen if his "horsing around" explanation will assuage interest or whether the couple will have to address what happened again.

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