annenberg media ♪ captioningpoored narrator: north america is sometimes called "anglo-america" e the dominance of english language and culture

but in the subregion of canada, e thtwo cities--of enmontreal a vancouver--ture are distcte for eir non-english societies. inancouver, on canada's pacic coas asian imgration stirs a cuural conflict are distcte for eir non-english societies. that highligs the relaonship between globalonctions and cal ices. and david ho is one4, of theop real este ages in vancouverbritish coluia and david ho is one4, of theop real este ages cawsthicle ok in vancouverbritish coluia david's family contracting business designed and built this house specifically for asian buyers, like the hong kong chinese family who will be viewing it today inside this $1.3 million home are many luxury atures

which, davidays,redemanded. e feature of this ng roomisfire it's a very rge ving room. e feature of this ng roomisfire then it's the high ceing. um... you know, it makes the room very spacious. e feature onarrator: roomisfire space is extremely limited in tthe crowded city ohong kong, building these houses, hower, rees down make omtion.ocdsf ui

the cultural landscape of in houtoeassercorole are scareda over the btishrotectore. wealthy milies are lookingfor. in houtoeassercorole are scareda one factor is distance. since aircraft f in great-circle routes, the closest mar city in north america is actually vancouver. pacific it has an old ands well-established cnatown..s, but in the run-up to '97, there are many upscale migrants, anthey are not moving hinatown. geogeravid leys beentuing the city's chaing lascape. ase observes w use, wcan e east side ofancouver vancour isssenally split intowoections.

e city's dividedo two halves-- west and east. the east side has always been the home e city's dividedo two halves-- west and east. of non-english-speaking immigrants-- some from europe, some from asi. and the lascape we see below us is a landscapef smalhouses, some from europe, some from asi. anthe houses a very sie. narrator mostf thet and the lascape communities are cad whicmes owsiof nghoo thatrelmost concealed beneath the urbafost narrator: it is here in this greener, more affent part of the city where the new asian elites have chosen to live. narrator: it is here in this greener, morema of das iesof the city are children of hong ko businessmen.

narrator: it istheipares continueneto earh morema of das iesof the city inhe asianen omanufacturing industry. theyften commutebetween van. theyelieve the besway toreserve theiwealth isstry. theyften commutebetween van. to invest in real estate, and the best way for their investments to appreciate is to replace older anglo-canadian housesike these with newer, larger asian-style houses like these. as developers rush to accommodate these new arrivals, ey teari dow exisng homes. ma west side residentso accomhave become concernedvals, he chang they see igorer wle lifround them. liss i knew ts house well, because i used to play across the street from it,

anit had beautiful timbe inside and oak fors, and what we got in itslaceis , which certainly doesn't fit intoheeighborhood at all. they arediy ug, and they shouldn't be here. they're pi, ey're fluf, ey're g,hey' uriendly, and it really annoys me that people come in here and don't wa to blend intohe neighborhood. narrator: ke lissa forshaw, man: jthey either didn't wantis d an older house, or they di't want toixt up, or money was no object, swith houses cong down d new houses going up,d and the new houses unfortunately were not fitting in withhe existg architture. a cole of years o, this was just like a n suburb.

there was just simply such an incredible density narratorto ggrapher, olr uses le th one construction. being replaced by newer ones like these, reflect more than just a local superficial trend. they are the result of global forces from f beyonthis region. here we are now in south shaughnessy in a street where i would guess more than half the houses have been rebuilt within the last five years, and it's a striking example of the meeting of the local and the global. to understand the landscape changes on this block, you need to understand the remarkable transition in canadian, and especially western canadian, society. narrator: while many asians are moving to vancouver, others are simply investing here. dung the 198, e onomicstng of i

had been the drivingorce hi t econo re british columbian exports19, were sent across the pacific ocean than across the border to the united states. many asian companies own major businesses throughout the city, like this retail sppg ll. and each yr, thousands of tous arm like helping make tourism the second-largest sector of british columbia's economy. all of these ements have created an increasedsian presence ancouver. the ho family business is thriving ankso this booming ast using toy's global communication systems, david closes many of his deals by fax and phone with clients still in hong kong and taiwan.

o.( cell(pspeang cnese ator dalynsctes they tgrprearc offered by their designs. but the hos are worried about the strict new rules now in place over house size and style. they are not sure their business can withstand the conflict of cultures. here the diaspora from europe is meeting a new diaspora. we are, in a sense, in a borderland, a meeting place between great international influences-- the age of the atlantic and the age of the pacific, europe and asia. and they're meeting more broadly they'rein this region.s city, or: the siuidenear

this english tudor exterior did not appeal to today's clients. okay, thanks for coming. narrator: it is seven years later, and me oe lictshasolved at both the local and the global scales. locall vancouver enacted a design compromise. ley: in this areathere was a menu of about a half dozen styles that builders were given to work with, but by far the most popular has been, in fact, this one, that i rather jokingly call the "neo-tudor," because it is a revival of what was the tudor revival of the 1900-1920 period. narrator: as long as developers built in details like traditional chimneys, steep pitched roofs

and wooden facade work, the houses could be slightly larger than others. ley: i should say that this compromise has been amazingly successful, and it shows that perhaps there is a future for multiculturalism after all. narrator: but the push to build new home s been slowe thaby a housing marketa future for muldragged 30% lowerer all. by forces at several geographic scales. at the global scale, vancouver actually experienced a return migration to hong kong following its reunification with china in 1997. ley: first of all, people realized that the political situation was not as serious as they anticipated. and secondly, not many of them have been able to make significant money here and have gone back and renewed old businesses or opened new businesses in hong kong. narrator: david ho's construction company now looks back

on its past achievements. ho left a sagging residential real estate market to start an internet company. links with asia, while strong, are changing throughout the city and the region. ley: part of the story, of course, where a lot of the raw materials is thefrom british columbia whie are exported. narrator: and even though the u.s. economy slumped its low interest rates have helped vault the u.s. back to its traditional role as b.c.'s largest trading partner. the major issue here is the lumber industry and u.s. house building, so that the b.c. lumber industry follows very closely the cycles of american home building. narrator: in vancouver itself, there is less new construction,

and the older houses are bought by a new asian demographic. in the last couple of years, we've hacontinuing a veryisigni, of the business immigrants and, and that movement is perhaps reflectemore by tse properties we see. we're in vancouver's east side w, by ta much more modest area, and people living here would be coming from india, from the people's republic of china, perhaps from the philippines. narrator: without great wealth and power, these new asian americans are not likely to encounter the same kinds of cultural conflicts. they just want to adapt and make new lives for themselves in a city of diverse local voices and ever-changing global connections.

within north america, the subregion of canada is the second-largest country in the world. but with its harsh northern climate, much of this land is sparsely inhabited. the streetlights in this nighttime image from space show the distribution of population in the eastern u.s. and canada. eighty-five percent of canadians live within 200 miles of the u.s. border. one of its biggest cities is montreal. as in vancouver, immigration has a major impact on montreal's urban and political geography. montreal is the primate city of quebec, a french island in an anglo-american sea. the québécois work very hard to preserve their language bugrowing onalism and e quebecovereign movement could ado e breaku ofanadiaon

bugrowing onalism and e quebecovereign movement clas♪ u aimes soli ♪ si tu aimes le soleil, frappe des mains ♪ ♪ si tu aimes le soleil, lerintemps qui se réveille ♪ si tu ais le soleifrappee♪ rrat the fure of ce in this canaan pvinc- in fact, in all of rth amera- ♪ lerintemps qui se réveille ♪ likehese. ♪ siaimes le soleil, crieourr ♪ hourra! quel'un a pris la règle... teacher: oui... narrator: the children in this montreal school come from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, and at home, they speak many different languages. buevy day iclass, they read, wri, and learn in french. why are these children so critical to the future of french quebec? the answer is demographics. narrator: like most of north america,

quebecbut quebec's ban french-speaking majori, known as the québécois, suffers from the lowest birthrate in all of canada. the situation is so serious that the provincial government pays families $6,000 canadian for every child born after the first two. but still, the birthrate is low. so quebec has had to look outside its borders and welcome immigrants from around the world. the problem is these immigrants threaten french culture. they are arriving and multiplying at such a rapid rate that the francophone population may soon become a minority in the city of montreal. and many new immigrants do not want to learn french. sammy said, "no, you cannot play in the sandbox, because i am the king of the...?" when he goes away, he goes down the slide. okay, when he goes away, you can use the slide?

narrat: victorlopeu isearning english. he and his brother tudor have come with their parents from eastern europe to escape an unstable economy and political climate. okay, next day... narrator: from romania, the plopeanus headed west to search for a better life in canada. they settled in french-speaking quebec, in the city of montreal, homeo t englh-speaking community in the province. montreal is divided into two relatively distinct areas: the english on one side, the french on the other. the plopeanus have chosen to settle on the city's english side, for they believe that english is the key to success for their children. but for immigrants in quebec, choosing english has a price. dan plopeanu is paying to send his sons to this private englh nursery school. although englishublic schools exist in the area,

the only free education available by law to immigrants is a french one. tvharacter: feel like dancing? sorry, i only dance with the boss. too bad. narrator: in spite of these laws, english is still readily accessible to victor and tudor. each day, they eagerly watch the english-language television transmitted to quebec from nearby cities. ( calling out greetings ) narrator: for the plopeanus, learning english is a natural choice, for they see this place where they have come to live as more than just quebec. how was the english class? woman: here is north america, so it's english first. so, uh, quebec is an island of french between a sea... you know, in a sea of... english. narrator: this sea of english is a source of concern for the québécois.

althoe largest population french spearesides in quebec.out canada yet alof them are surrounded, not only by english canada, english-spki count in thegion: . anmost influenal pierre-etienne la porte is the director of a government-run research organization called the french language council. translator: one has to keep in mind that quebec is in a very special situation as a result of its proximity to the american giant. from a geo-linguistic perspective, english has an influential presence here, because we are deeply integrated into american civilization, which is the civilization that surroundss. narrator: nearly half of quebec's seven million people live in the city of montreal, and it is here

that the battle between french and english is most heated. the québécois recognize that protecting language is the most effective means of preserving culture. to help get protection from english, the quebec government turns to the federal government. historically, it was montreal's english-speaking minory who held tconomic we inhe province. although this community was only one-quarter of the population of montreal, the language used in business and commerce, and on many public signs, was english. but signs like this one are now a relic of the past, since the french majority enacted laws to protect their language. one of their first actions was to stop written english on the streets. don cartwrights a cultural geographe who studies language use in quebec. cartwright: as a geographer,

signs of the landscape-- the streetscape-- are vital.ds to take back the streetscape, and consequently in the '70s, they passed legislation which de unil gl he placehethe siaw which meant that only french-language signs could appear on the streetscape. narrator: because of these laws, many english-speaking companies, like this one, sun life, began to leave in droves. overall, nearly 20% of the english population left quebec in the early '70s and '80s. today, this law has been relaxed, and bilingual signs are permitted. but the french language now dominates this landscape. even o landmarks like the queen elizabethotel and windsor station now show their compliance with these laws.

the québécois have succeeded in their battle with the english-speaking minority. but it is quebec's rapidly growing immigrant population that currently presents an even greater challenge to the québécois. in this immigration office, a poster announces that french is the key to success in quebec. and to ensure that these newcomers agree... ( people speaking french enthusiastically ) narrator: the government pays them. oui. oui. non. ( teacher speaking french ) narrator: immigrant families can receive up to 200 canadian dollars per week to be taught by the government how to assimilate into french-speaking society. ( class interacting cheerfully ) monique daigle works with quebec's ministry of iigration.

on surut comprisl'importance.. translator: we havcertainly come to understand the importance of integrating this immigrant population to our majority frcophone society, if we want to ensure the continuation of the french reality. my childreke the ideaof having d to a fnch public school and nobeing able to send them to an english public school. narrator: dan and doina plopeanu don't feel obligated to help preserve french language and culture. though moneys tight, th will try to send ctor to a private english kindergarten next year. doina: we will do an effort. i don't know how, but i'm determined to do this effort, because i think it's e beer thi for him to... to go in ansh school.

( misprouncing ): "turkey israditionally's the favorite itemm on the thanksgiving menu." teacher ( correcting ): good-- "the favorite item on the thanksgiving menu." narrator: in spite of the laws, the attraction of english remains, both for tan afoofueimmigrants. as don cartwright explains this attraction will always be a reality for the quécois. cartwright: they are always going to be in contact with the english language. it's always going to be penetrating into quebec through television, through radio, through magazines, and as a result, they simply cannot give up the vigilance that they take for the protection of the language and the culture. narrator: in 1995, french identity politics ca to a head with the provinceide rere narrator: in 1995, fon quebec vereignty.ics would quebec break away and form its own country? the vote was very close: by a margin of percent, the residents chose to remain canadian.

the spatial pattern of the votes reveals much about social and economic divisions within quebec. in northern areas of the province, native americans voted "no" to sovereignty. so did quebecers living near the canadian capital in ottawa and along the u.s. border. but "yes" votes predominated in most of the other ridings, or counties, in quebec, the heartland of french canada. most divided was montreal itself. here, the darker the color, the higher is the percentage of english speakers. so it was no real surprise that these west side districts voted "no" on the sovereignty question. here, the darkest colors represent the highest percentages of french speakers. as predicted, these northeast districts voted "yes" for sovereignty. but how would the remaining areas vote? here are the areas of the city where people live whose mother tongues are neither french nor english.

the darkest colors show the highest percentages. even though many french speakers live here, too, the allophones held the deciding votes. they did not want to leave canada. they tipped the referendum against a sovereign quebec, and these areas voted "non." it appears for now it's the immigrants who hold the key to quebec's future. the leader of the sovereignty movement, jacques parizeau, blamed the defeat on the ethnic vote and on anglo money. even though this was partially true, his statement caused an uproar in canada because it confirmed the "us"-and-"them" attitude. parizeau resigned, and the sovereignty movement has pulled back for now to regroup. immigration may be helping to offset quebec's declining birthrate, but it is not clear what it does to preserve the french language and culture.

in the meantime, the u.s. c.i.a. warns that "canada's paramount political problem continues "to be the relationship of the province of quebec, "with its french-speaking residents and unique culture, to the remainder of the country."

captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org annenberg media ♪ for information about this and other annenberg media programs call 1-800-learner and visit us at