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Quebec language watchdog now says it's OK to use 'go' to support sports teams

Quebec's language watchdog gave the Montreal transit agency a green light in June 2025 to use the word 'go' to encourage sports teams.
This followed complaints since 2021 about the use of 'go', including a dismissed 2023 complaint about the slogan 'Go Habs Go' on an outdoor billboard.
The watchdog had pressured the agency in 2024 to remove 'go' from electronic signs on over 1,000 buses, leading to months of updates amid public debate.
Spokesperson Gilles Payer said a public body can use 'go' in encouragement without breaching French language duties, while Minister Jean-François Roberge called 'Go Habs Go' part of Quebec culture.
The reversal suggests internal unease but implies acceptance of 'go' in sports contexts, preserving cultural identity and letting the hashtag remain outside Montreal's Bell Centre.

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Montreal Gazette

Lean Right

It's mostly OK to use 'go' to support a sports team, OQLF decides

4 hours ago·Montreal, Canada

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The Globe & Mail

Center

Quebec’s language watchdog now says it’s OK to use ‘go’ to support sports teams

Office québécois de la langue française says that while ‘allez’ is the preferred term, it’s now ‘partially legitimized’ to use the English word

5 hours ago·Canada

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The Epoch Times

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Quebec Language Watchdog Now Says It’s OK to Use ‘Go’ to Support Sports Teams

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 mo…

5 hours ago·New York, United States

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