Cellphone in hand, they move from shop to shop along busy commercial streets, stopping briefly before heading to the next store. But they’re not Christmas shoppers. In fact, merchants eye them warily, fearing paperwork, unwanted headlines — even fines.

They’re Quebec language inspectors.

For decades, the province has dispatched them to monitor language compliance. Their work sometimes stirs controversy: the Pastagate scandal over Italian menu words, the singling out of the Burgundy Lion pub’s name, and efforts to restrict the word “Go” on bus signs cheering the Montreal Canadiens.

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Yet most people have never witnessed a French inspection first-hand.

Long hidden from public view, the inner workings of Office québécois de la lang

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