OQLF wrote to STM 6 times asking to remove ‘go’ from buses
Posted May 30, 2025 7:19 am.
Quebec’s language watchdog (OQLF) contacted the Montreal transit agency (STM) at least six times regarding a complaint about the use of the word “go” on its bus billboards.
Emails obtained by The Canadian Press reveal that the OQLF asked the STM for several updates regarding the process to remove the word from certain messages displayed on the front of its buses.
The complaint file remained open for nine months at the OQLF. It was closed once the word “go” was removed from more than 1,000 vehicles.
In April, The Gazette revealed that the STM had replaced the phrase “Go! Canadiens Go!” on its bus billboards with “Allez! Canadiens Allez!” during the Habs’ participation in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
This change sparked an outcry, but the OQLF defended its interactions with the STM, maintaining that it was acting in response to a complaint.
In emails obtained by The Canadian Press, we learn that the OQLF informed the STM that the file would remain open until the encouraging message was changed on all buses.
The complaint was finally closed in January 2025, when the word “go” had been removed from 90 per cent of buses.
When the change became a hot topic, the Quebec government intervened to defend the expression “Go! Habs Go!”, arguing that it is part of Quebec culture.
The Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, ruled that any complaints regarding “Go! Habs Go!” would henceforth be deemed “inadmissible.”
–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews
