Montreal city buses won’t be flashing ‘Go! Canadiens Go!’ in time for Habs’ season opener
Posted August 29, 2025 9:38 am.
‘Go! Canadiens Go!’ will not be back on Montreal city buses in time for the start of Habs season.
The Société de transport de Montréal (STM) confirmed the news to CityNews, after it was first reported by the Montreal Gazette.
Despite Quebec’s language watchdog, the Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF), confirming that the English word “Go” was acceptable for use, after temporarily removing it from electronic bus signs and encouraging the use of “Allez! Canadiens Allez!”, the signs won’t be ready for the Habs’ season opener on Oct. 8.
The STM says it’s still considering whether to bring back “Go! Canadiens Go!” and will communicate its decision when it has made one.
The STM updates bus displays once per year and they say the process takes weeks.
That means that if the change happens, it probably won’t take place until early next year.
The controversy erupted in April of this year when the OQLF ordered the STM to drop “Go” from its bus messages, saying it was an English word. It prompted French Language Minister Jean-François Roberge to quickly counter that “Go” should be allowed, that it’s “an expression that’s part of our DNA, our identity.”
The language watchdog later backtracked on their order, saying: “The direct borrowing of the English word ‘Go’ has been used as a form of encouragement in Quebec French since at least the 1980s.”
