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-François Roberge said on the social media platform X. "It's a Québécisme 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 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 Société de transport de Montréal (STM) decided to remove the word "go" from all of its messaging.
The decision made headlines on Thursday after it was first reported by the Montreal Gazette.
Roberge said employees of the language watchdog, the Office québécois de la langue française, have received threats since the news broke. "This is completely unacceptable. This must stop," he wrote.
He said he's had "several exchanges" with the language office about the matter, and any future complaints about the phrase "Go Habs Go!" will be dismissed.
"It's clear to us that this time-honoured expression must never be called into question," Roberge said.
Dominique Malack, president of the language office, also published a lengthy statement Friday that defended the slogan while upholding the transit agency's decision not to use it.
"Under no circumstances has the office objected to the use of the expression 'Go Habs Go,' which is rooted in our history and is part of our Quebec identity," she wrote.
Malack stressed that the language office didn't launch the intervention with the transit agency on its own, but was responding to a complaint from a citizen.
She went on to say that while the word "go" is found in French dictionaries and is commonly used in everyday language, it is an anglicism. Quebec's French language charter requires public bodies to use proper French, she said.
"A government agency, such as the STM, may only use French in its signage, with some exceptions, such as for health and safety reasons," Malack said. "The charter is clear about the government's obligations regarding the exemplary use of French, and the office is mandated to ensure its implementation."
The Canadiens were set to host Game 3 of their first-round playoff series Friday night against the Washington Capitals.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2025.
Maura Forrest, The Canadian Press
