PL 96, débat sur les langues et discussions connexes

[james_amend]

🌐 The Gazette ∙ April 24, 2025

No Habs No: Quebec orders STM to drop ‘Go’ from bus messages because it’s an English word

STM buses now display the message: “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” after someone complained to the Office québécois de la langue française about the use of the English word Go on its former pro-Habs slogan.

Andy Riga

First, Quebec targeted Hi. Now, it’s going after another two-letter English word: Go.

The province’s language watchdog has told Montreal’s transit agency to stop displaying messages like “GO! Canadiens GO!” on its bus electronic displays because Go is an English word, The Gazette has learned.

As a result, during the Habs’ playoff run, the Société de transport de Montréal will instead feature “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” on its buses.

“Following a complaint it received last year about a message displayed on a bus sign reading ‘GO! CF MTL GO!,’ the Office québécois de la langue française asked the STM to modify its message,” transit agency spokesperson Isabelle Tremblay said.

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CF Montréal is the name of the city’s professional soccer team.

“Since the word Go is considered an anglicism, the STM committed to removing it from bus signs,” Tremblay said.

OQLF spokesperson Gilles Payer confirmed receiving a complaint about the word Go.

He said the OQLF advised the STM that under Quebec law, “government bodies must set an example by using French, which means refraining from employing English terms in their signage.”
What does the language watchdog consider the most appropriate way to say “Go Habs Go” in French?

“The Office adopts a supportive approach with government bodies and never mandates one correction over another,” Payer said. “The government body may submit a proposed version to the Office, which will then verify whether it complies with the requirements of the Charter of the French Language.”

Montreal Canadiens fans use both Go and Allez when they cheer on the team.

The popular “Go Habs Go” slogan — featured prominently on the team’s official social media channels — pairs the English word Go with Habs, an anglicized shorthand for habitants, the early settlers of New France.

Some prefer to join the French “Allez, allez, allez, allez Montréal” refrain from Loco Locass’s Habs‑inspired anthem “Le But.”

The fact that Go is an English word has not deterred some staunch defenders of the French language.

Parti Québécois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon, for example, has used the hashtag #GoHabsGo on the X social media platform twice in recent weeks.

Even Premier François Legault favoured the hashtag #GoHabsGo until 2021.

Since then, Legault — a devout fan who was at the Bell Centre when the Habs clinched a playoff spot on the night of the French-language federal leaders’ debate — has used #CH. That refers to the Canadiens’ logo and the team’s official name: Club de hockey Canadien.

The STM says it started updating its bus messages last fall and completed the process early this year.

That means STM’s 2,000 buses are now no-Go zones.

“The use of the word Go in a sports context was consistent with familiar messages from these teams, such as ‘Go Montréal,’” Tremblay said. Such messages “allowed for quick comprehension and helped foster a sense of belonging.”

Due to the OQLF’s objection, “the anglicism ‘Go’ has been replaced with expressions like ‘Allez Montréal’ and ‘Allez! CF MTL Allez!’ — preserving the team spirit while complying with Law 14.”

That law, known as Bill 96 before it was enacted in 2022, toughened the Charter of the French Language, commonly known as Bill 101.

Among other provisions, the law requires public bodies to “in an exemplary manner, use the French language, promote its quality, ensure its development in Quebec and protect it.”

The STM is working with the OQLF to ensure the agency complies with the law across all areas, from social media to employee training, according to a document released in response to a recent Gazette access‑to‑information request.

“An OQLF advisor visited five (STM) workplaces between February and May 2024,” according to the document.

The STM was told to submit a report to the OQLF “indicating the situations in which it intends to avail itself of the right to use a language other than French, in accordance with the exceptions provided for in the charter.”

Visitors to the English version of the STM website are greeted with a message stating: “The Charter of the French Language governs the consultation of English content.”

Quebec allows some exceptions to the requirement that communication with public bodies be offered in French only.

Those who may be communicated with in a language other than French include Indigenous Peoples, Quebecers eligible to receive instruction in English, and immigrants for the first six months after arriving in Quebec.

In a letter accompanying the document provided to The Gazette, the STM said it uses the French language internally.

However, “the languages used by STM staff during customer interactions are French and English,” the transit authority said. “Indeed, during phone calls or emails, STM employees speak English with anglophone or allophone customers who do not speak French.”

The ban on the word Go mirrors Quebec’s attempts to discourage store employees from greeting customers with Bonjour-Hi, a controversial phrase that blends English and French.

In 2017, Quebec’s National Assembly unanimously passed a motion, backed by all political parties, encouraging merchants to greet customers with a simple “bonjour.”

Two years later, the Legault government floated the idea of formally banning Bonjour-Hi. It quickly backed down after critics said it would be impossible to legislate conversations between citizens and store workers.

[OusmaneB]

. Pas de commentaire. Les médias Francos s’y mettent aussi. Et les réactions vont toutes dans le même sens.

[Last-Man-In-Orbit]

Si je travaillais dans les bureaux de l’OQLF, il n’y aurait pas assez d’alcool pour me permettre de passer la journée… Zero self-awareness.

Ho-lee-crap.

[jul123123]

alcool et un mot en arabe. Il faudrait que tu retires ton commentaire et que tu le réécrives en français

[louisleonardo]

J’aime qu’on pointe l’absurdité du tout en faisant remarquer que les politiciens nationalistes utilisent aussi Go Habs Go

[Randomapple]

New evil plan: scratch English words onto transit infrastructure in need of repair or replacement, so then the OQLF will mandate the government to fix the STM’s maintenance backlog.

[mashdash]

L’affichage du départ des bus à la station Île-des-Sœurs a eu un écran d’erreur au cours des derniers mois (aucun bus visible), mais l’ordinateur est réglé sur l’anglais car l’erreur est en anglais… nous pourrions le signaler à l’OQLF et ils devraient réparer l’affichage pour afficher les bus normalement

[sadie1373]

I’ll signale to the OQLF all the deficient signage around the concordia campus that is white 8 by 11 paper with english sharpie written on it. Maybe then the university will actually make good looking signs for Faubourg

[twix24]

@Randomapple

New evil plan: scratch English words onto transit infrastructure in need of repair or replacement, so then the OQLF will mandate the government to fix the STM’s maintenance backlog.

City of Montreal should report all the english Graffiti to OQLF, they will get removed for free.

[mashdash]

There are plans to replace that with real signage, but it takes a really really long time, I worked on a bit of it last year, with budget cuts it delays everything as well. But I wish something other than some signs with sharpie could be added, it has been that way for way too long

[Kami]

Super… C’est comme ça qu’on va négocier avec les Américains…?

[SameGuy]

Comme mon ami Yves Lavoie le dit, “Ouatte de phoque.”

https://www.montrealgazette.com/news/provincial-news/article890495.html

[ScarletCoral]

Il y a un gros « #GOHABSGO » sur la place du Centenaire entre le centre Bell et la cour de la gare Windsor. L’OQLF va demander à Canadien de l’enlever?

[Dom723]

C’est qui l’incompétent à l’OQLF qui a interprété ‘‘Habs’’ comme étant un mot anglais et pas comme le mot Habitants… sérieusement de mettre de l’argent public dans ce genre de stupidité…

[ScarletCoral]

Reportage au Téléjournal

Le « Go! Canadiens Go! » des bus de la STM ont fait l'objet d'une plainte à l'OQLF

En passant, l’écran à l’avant de l’autobus s’appelle une « girouette », probablement parce qu’avant l’écran numérique, c’était un rouleau qu’il fallait tourner pour indiquer le nom de la ligne

[Decel]

Prédiction : cette nouvelle va faire le tour du monde et nous faire passer, Québécois, pour des nonos disposant de beaucoup trop de temps pour sodomiser des mouches.

Pastagate 2.0 autour du mot « Go »

[WI_GUY]

I don’t think the OLF has much of a choice but to ask the Canadians to take it down, lets see if the Canadians will push back.

[SteveQ]

Il est temps de changer le mandat de l’OQLF. Désormais, il faut que l’entièreté du budget consacré à cet organisme serve à apprendre le français, notamment aux nouveaux arrivants et à toutes autres personnes désirant l’apprendre et/ou l’améliorer, car depuis quelques années, l’OQLF semble davantage nuire à la cause du français que de le promouvoir. Donc si on veut vraiment donner un coup de pouce à l’apprentissage de la langue française alors voici l’occasion en or pour le faire et tout le monde applaudira.

Je préfère plus de professeurs de français que d’inspecteurs.

[Asakha]

Prochaine étape, obligation de franciser les noms des équipes adverses qui viennent jouer à Montréal ! Tellement hâtes au matc… à la partie entre les Canadiens de Montréal et les Canadiens de Vancouver !! Ou les Insulaires de Nouveau York !