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 qu茅b茅cois de la langue fran莽aise says that while "allez" is the preferred term, it鈥檚 now 鈥減artially legitimized鈥 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 春色直播obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use 鈥済o鈥 in June.
The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens鈥 first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced 鈥淕o! Canadiens Go!鈥 with 鈥淎llez! Canadiens Allez!鈥 to stay on the watchdog's good side.
The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-Fran莽ois Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression 鈥淕o Habs Go鈥 is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed.聽
That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert.聽
鈥淭he office had to respond to a political order,鈥 said Beno卯t Melan莽on, emeritus professor of French literature at Universit茅 de Montr茅al. 鈥淭he minister said, 鈥榊ou will accept this,鈥 so the office had to find a way to accept it.鈥
The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word 鈥済o鈥 back on its bus displays. On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the agency is now 鈥渂eginning its reflection on the subject.鈥
In an April statement, Dominique Malack, the president of the language office, agreed that the slogan 鈥淕o Habs Go鈥 is anchored in Quebec鈥檚 history. Still, she went on to say that the word 鈥済o鈥 is an anglicism, and that public bodies have an obligation to use 鈥渆xemplary鈥 French, which includes using only French words in their signage.
Emails released to 春色直播show the transit agency asked the watchdog in May, following the uproar, for authorization to start using 鈥済o鈥 again. A month later, on June 6, the language office directed transit officials to its new entry for the word 鈥渁llez鈥 in its online dictionary of terminology, a reference guide for the proper use of French in Quebec.
The page notes how the anglicism 鈥済o鈥 has been used in Quebec since at least the 1980s and is 鈥渨ell-established鈥 in common parlance. 鈥淚t is considered to be partially legitimized,鈥 the entry says.聽
When asked by 春色直播to comment on the newly released email correspondence, the watchdog confirmed it had updated its position.
鈥淭he office now considers that a public body can use the interjection go in a context of encouragement 鈥 without this compromising the duty of exemplarity incumbent upon it under the Charter of the French Language,鈥 spokesperson Gilles Payer told 春色直播in an email.
Payer confirmed the entry was newly published on May 30. 鈥淭he media coverage of the case concerning the use of the borrowed word 鈥榞o鈥 in a sports context led the office to officially assess the acceptability鈥 of the word, he said.聽
Melan莽on, the French literature professor, said the new rationale 鈥 especially the term 鈥減artially legitimized鈥 鈥 suggests the office was uneasy with the change.聽
鈥淭his must have given rise to some pretty intense internal debates,鈥 he said. 鈥溾楧o 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?鈥欌
At least one transit agency official felt dubious about the original complaint, which related to a bus displaying the words 鈥淕o! CF Mtl Go!鈥 in support of Montreal鈥檚 professional soccer club. She called the issue a 鈥済rey zone鈥 in a June 2024 email to colleagues.聽
鈥淲e鈥檝e been using the word 鈥榞o鈥 for years without a problem,鈥 she wrote. 鈥淎re we going to change everything because of one complaint?鈥澛
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.聽
The agency has said no further change will be made before the buses undergo regular maintenance in the fall.聽
The language office has received at least two other complaints about the word 鈥済o鈥 in the last five years, according to a response to a separate access-to-information request.聽
In 2023, someone complained about the slogan 鈥淕o Habs Go鈥 appearing on an outdoor billboard. That complaint was dismissed because the expression is a trademark.聽
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鈥檚 language rules, the expression 鈥淎llez les Habitants allez鈥 should appear alongside the English slogan, in larger letters. 鈥淎nd yes, I鈥檓 serious, if the law applies, then apply it! :)鈥 the person wrote.聽
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.聽
The #GoHabsGo sign remains in place.聽
This report by 春色直播was first published July 3, 2025.聽
