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 aid for the Montreal Canadiens NHL playoff run The decision was made because the word go is an anglicism commented spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay The expression Go Habs Go is used extensively in Quebec to sponsorship the Montreal hockey organization It is also used widely by the band 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 stated 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 Soci t de transit de Montr al STM decided to change the word go with allez the French equivalent on all of its messaging Tremblay declared it maintains organization spirit while complying with Quebec s newest 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 stated the modification must be made manually on each bus so the work was only completed earlier this year The change was first revealed Thursday by the Montreal Gazette A spokesperson for the Montreal Canadiens declined to comment on the matter The organization clinched a playoff spot last week and trails - in the best-of-seven matchup against the Washington Capitals The Canadiens host Encounter of their first-round series on Friday In Quebec City on Thursday the move was widely panned by opposition parties including the Parti Qu b cois which positions itself as a champion of the French language We have other priorities for the French language in Quebec announced PQ legislature member Catherine Gentilcore adding that leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon will continue to use GoHabsGo on the X platform The Quebec Society Groups Organization which represents English-speaking Quebecers dismissed the decision as silliness in a social media post EVERYONE yells GoHabsGo at the Bell Centre the group stated Our buses should be allowed to do the same Source