Using 'go' to cheer on sports teams is now OK, says Quebec language watchdog

Quebec's language watchdog has changed its tune on whether it's acceptable to use the word "go" to cheer on sports teams.

In a new guideline posted in its online dictionary, the Office québécois de la langue française says that while "allez" is the preferred term, it's now "partially legitimized" to use the English word to show encouragement.

The flip-flop comes after the office took a hard line with Montreal's transit agency, pressing it for months in 2024 to scrub the word "go" from the electronic signs on more than 1,000 city buses.

The watchdog confirmed it had changed its position after The Canadian Press obtained a series of emails through access to information legislation, revealing it gave the transit agency a green light to use "go" in June.

The reversal followed a public outcry on the eve of the Montreal Canadiens' first playoff home game in April, when the Montreal Gazette reported how the transit agency had replaced "Go! Canadiens Go!" with "Allez! Canadiens Allez!" to stay on the watchdog's good side.

The revelations prompted French-language Minister Jean-François Roberge to intervene, declaring that the expression "Go Habs Go" is part of Quebec culture, and that any future complaints about the slogan would be dismissed.

That statement verged on political interference and placed the watchdog in a difficult position, according to one expert.

"The office had to respond to a political order," said Benoît Melançon, emeritus professor of French literature at Université de Montréal. "The minister said, 'You will accept this,' so the office had to find a way to accept it."

The transit agency says it hasn't decided whether it will put the word "go" back on its bus displays.

On Wednesday, a spokesperson said the