Montreal buses remove ‘Go! Canadiens Go!’ after complaint 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.

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.

But 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 remove the word “go” from all of its messaging.

“This type of message provided STM employees with a way to salute national sports teams, support the STM’s official partners and establish the STM as a player in its community,” Tremblay said in an email statement. “Note that the use of the word ‘Go’ was used in a sports context …. It allowed for quick understanding and a sense of belonging to these teams.”

Tremblay said replacing “go” with “allez” — the French equivalent — “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 will host Game 3 of their first-round series on Friday.

In an email statement, a spokesperson for the Office québécois de la langue française stressed that the watchdog agency didn’t launch the intervention on its own, but was instead responding to a complaint. Still, the office informed the transit agency that public bodies “must use the French language in an exemplary manner, which includes not using English terms in their signage,” said Gilles Payer.

In Quebec City on Thursday, the move was widely panned by opposition parties, including the sovereigntist 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, and said the language watchdog and the transit agency “scored on their net.”

“EVERYONE yells #GoHabsGo! at the Bell Centre,” the group said. “Our buses should be allowed to do the same.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 24, 2025.

Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press