物以类聚，人以群分。这是对自然界和人类社会的高度概括。222年来，超过121万华侨华人在加拿大劳动、生活和繁衍，在不同时期和不同地域建立和发展自己的社会团体（简称社团），以对付种族歧视，联络民族情感，为谋求经济、政治权益和弘扬中华文化等作出巨大贡献。有鉴于此，本人拟就加拿大华侨华人社团的建立和发展作一探索，以就正于广大华侨华人。

　　一、1862-1922年，华侨华人社团的建立时期

　　最早来加拿大温哥华地区淘金和筑路的广东人，均是一般体力劳工大众。他们人地两生、语言不通和水土不服，很自然聚集在一个小地域内生活。为了在加拿大劳动、生活以及对付种族歧视，1862年，在不列颠哥伦比亚省（今通称卑诗省）的淘金重地巴克维利（Barkeville），从美国三藩市北来的黄深贵发起组织建立一个小社团，名曰美国洪门会分支加拿大洪顺堂。后来，美国的洪门会统一称为致公堂，所以黄深贵在加拿大建立的洪顺堂也改称为致公堂。

　　接着，来自美国西雅图的致公堂友林立晃、赵喜、叶惠伯、李佐和陈跃等人于1876年在维多利亚建立致公分堂。当时，参加致公堂者絶大多数是广东四邑（台山、新会、开平、恩平县）人。可以说致公堂是中国人在加拿大建立的第一个社团，而且是属于秘密性组织。按照上述致公堂的章程目的，其管理职责主要有三：管理华侨居住社区的民政事务；管理社区内的民事刑事纠纷；管理社区的经济事务。

　　到了1872年，来自广东梅县等地区的客家人在温哥华矿区建立了一个社团，名曰人和堂。至1880年左右，广东人建立的社团已有10个。后来，在城市居住经商的华人觉得致公堂、人和堂等社团不能满足各个阶层华侨华人实际利益的需求，因此于1884年3月，由维多利亚的商人联合签名上书时任中国驻旧金山总领事黄遵宪（广东梅县人），请求他以总领事名义出面倡议在加拿大建立一个能够包容各个阶层华侨华人的统一的社团，以对付种族歧视和维护共同利益。1884年6月，黄遵宪派遣黄锡铨到维多利亚发动所有华侨华人共同建立了一个统一的社团，名曰中华会馆。

　　中华会馆通过的章程共有37条，对会馆的宗旨、组织形式、作用等都有明确的规定。中华会馆是第一个统一的社区性的正式社团，自建立到20世纪，它在团结华侨华人、反对种族歧视、谋取和维护经济政治权益、弘扬中华文化等方面都做出了巨大的贡献。

　　二、1906-1947年，华侨华人社团初步发展时期

　　二十世纪初期，中华会馆不断发展，1906-1919年，在温哥华、蒙特利尔、温尼伯、多伦多、京士顿先后建立了中华会馆。与此同时，由于华侨华人日益增多，为了互相关照和发展，早在1903年起，来自同一个县、一个宗族或一个行业的华侨华人，纷纷各自建立宗亲堂所、行业协会、政治联盟和文化团体等。其中以地域和宗亲社团占多数，说明华侨华人的社团是以地缘和血缘为纽带建立起来的。这样的社团成员，有着共同的语言、生活习惯而很容易团聚在一起，联络乡情和亲情，互相帮助，互相关照，为各个成员谋得正当的权益，以保护大家在加拿大异国劳动生活的稳定和幸福。

　　三、1947-2009年，华侨华人社团蓬勃发展时期

　　1947年加拿大联邦政府废除《华人移民法》，实施新移民法，允准入籍加拿大的公民申请妻子及未满18岁的子女移民，1953年又允准未满21岁的子女及60岁以上的母亲和65岁以上的父亲来加团聚，以及1980年以后允准技术人员移民加拿大，加上土生华人的不断增长等原因，华侨华人迅速增加，从1961年的58197人剧增至1996年的736015人，再增至2008年的1216537人。于是华侨华人的社团亦蓬勃发展，大部分设立在多伦多、维多利亚、温哥华、蒙特利尔和卡加利等大中城市，其特点是地域性社团、行业性社团、土生华人社团、文化社团、慈善社团大量增加，宗亲性社团日渐消失。

　　为了发挥各社团的社会功能，在广大华侨华人的推动下，自1975-1993年曾举行过四次全加华侨华人社团代表大会，并于1992年5月16日在温哥华召开的第四次代表大会上，一致通过决议，决定成立全加华侨华人联合会，以便有效加强众多社团的联系，更好地为华侨华人服务。

　　为了争取华侨华人合法权益，1980年4月，王裕佳医生领头创办了全加拿大华人协进会（Chinese Canadian National Council For Equality，俗称平权会）。本着“致力推动华人社区之团结，积极汇入加拿大主流社会，并参与三级政府的各项对华人有关的决策”的宗旨，于1984年发起声势浩大的要求联邦政府平反华人人头税运动。经过20多年的坚持斗争，最终，总理哈珀（Steven Harper）于2006年6月22日在国会山庄向国会报告，承认人头税和排华法案是严重的不公与种族歧视，并代表加拿大政府向受害的华侨华人做正式的“加拿大道歉”。

　　总之，自1858年首个华人社团形成以来，至今已151年。广大华侨华人把各种社团当作自己的大家庭，并在这些社团的爱护、关怀和帮助下，在加拿大劳动、生活和繁衍，为今天加拿大发展成为发达国家和多伦多成为世界十大经济最富裕的城市做出了巨大贡献，功不可没。

　　（编者按：因版面所限，本文有所删减，完整版请登陆平权会多伦多分会网站www.ccnctoronto.ca查看，又全文翻译为英文如下。）
　　（原载《话说唐人街》，加拿大多艺传媒出版公司2010年版）

　　The Establishment and Development of Overseas Chinese Associations in Canada

　　Birds of a feather flock together. This is a very brief summary of the natural world and human society. For 222 years, more than 1.21 million overseas Chinese have been working and living in Canada. They set up and developed their own associations that played a significant role in combating racial discrimination, maintained history and kinship, gained economic and political rights for their members and promoted Chinese culture. Considering that, I am going to explore the establishment and development of Chinese Canadian associations in order to provide reference information for overseas Chinese in Canada.

　　　I.The Establishment Period of Chinese-Canadian Associations （1862-1922）

　　The first Chinese who came to Vancouver to mine gold and build railways were mostly general laborers. Facing a new land, language barriers, and unacclimatization, they naturally gathered together in a small region. In 1862, in order to work, live and fight against racial discrimination in Canada, Shengui Huang from San Francisco U.S., set up a small association called Canadian Hong Shun Tong, which was a branch of the Chinese Freemasons of America in the gold-mining region of Barkeville, British Columbia （BC）. Later the Chinese Freemasons of America was renamed as Chee Kong Tong. So Hong Shun Tong set up by Shengui Huang was changed to Chee Kong Tong as well.

　　Then in 1876, Lihuang Lin, Xi Zhao, Huibo Ye, Zuo Li and Yue Chen etc. established a chapter of the Chee Kong Tong in Victoria. At that time, those who joined Chee Kong Tong were mostly from the four counties of Guangdong Province （i.e. Taishan county, Xinhui county, Kaiping county, Enping county）. It can be said that Chee Kong Tong was the first association set up by overseas Chinese in Canada, and it was also a secret organization. Based on the aim of their bylaws, Chee Kong Tong had the following responsibilities: to administrate the civil affairs of Chinese Canadian communities; to deal with the civil and criminal disputes within Chinese Canadian communities; and to manage the financial affairs of Chinese Canadian communities.

　　In 1872, the Hakka people from Mei county of Guangdong province established an association named Yan Wo Benevolent Association in the mining regions in Vancouver. By 1880, the number of associations founded by Cantonese was more than ten. Later, the Chinese merchants living in urban areas thought that some associations such as Yan Wo Benevolent Association and Chee Kong Tong could no longer meet the needs of Chinese Canadians. Therefore, in March 1884 the merchants in Victoria wrote a letter to Zunxian Huang （from Mei county of Guangdong province）, Consul General of Chinese Consulate-General in San Francisco, requesting him to propose the establishment of a united association which could include Chinese Canadians at all levels in order to fight against racial discrimination and maintain common benefits. In June, Xiquan Huang, who was sent to Victoria by Zunxian Huang, mobilized all overseas Chinese to establish a unified body called Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association.

　　There were a total of 37 bylaws, indicating the specific goal, structure and role of the association. The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association is the first formal unified association for the Chinese Canadian communities. From its fouding to the 20th century, it has made tremendous contributions in uniting Chinese Canadians to fight against racial discrimination, gain and maintain both economic and political rights and benefits for overseas Chinese and promote Chinese culture.

　　II.The Initial Development Period of Chinese-Canadian Associations （1906-1947）

　　In the early twentieth Association developed continuously. From 1906 through 1919, Chinese Benevolent Associations were established in Vancouver, Montreal, Winnipeg, Toronto and Kingston. Meanwhile, since 1903 the Chinese Canadians from the same counties, clans or trades were establishing their own clan-type associations based on their trades, political alliances and cultural communities as a result of the increasing number of Chinese-Canadians who longed for mutual care and development. Among these associations, those reflecting local communities from China and clan type ones were in majority, indicating that Chinese Canadian Associations were predominantly established based on kinship and geography. Sharing the same language and life styles these community members easily gathered together to maintain history and kinship, to help and care for each other, to gain reasonable rights for themselves and to protect their daily work and life in Canada.

　　III.The Vigorous Development Period of Chinese-Canadian Associations（1947-2009）

　　In 1947, the Federal Government of Canada abolished “the Chinese Immigration Act”, implementing a new immigration law that permitted overseas Chinese who had become Canadian citizens to apply for family reunionification with their wives and children under 18 years of age. In 1953, children under 21, father over 65 years of age and mother over 60 were allowed to join their families in Canada. After 1980, skilled workers were allowed to immigrate to Canada as well. Immigiation and Canadian born Chinese, The Chinese community has been growing quickly, due to immigration and Canandian born Chinese. The population of overseas Chinese in Canada increased sharply from 58,197 in 1961 to 736,015 in 1996 and once again increased to 1,216,537 in 2008. Accordingly, Chinese Canadian associations developed vigorously. These associations were mostly located in metropolitan areas such as Toronto, Victoria, Vancouer, Montreal and Calgary. The characteristic of these associations is that regional, professional, native born Chinese Canadian, cultural and benevolent associations were increasing rapidly whereas clan type societies were disappearing day by day.

　　In order to further exert the social functions of various societies, driven by overseas Chinese, four Congresses of Canada Overseas Chinese Associations were held during the years 1975-1993. In the Congress held on 16th May, 1992, a resolution to establish a National Congress of Chinese Canadians was passed unanimously in order to better strengthen the relationship among associations and better serve all overseas Chinese in Canada.

　　For the rights and benefits of Chinese Canadians, Doctor Joseph Wong founded the Chinese Canadian National Council for Equality （CCNC） in April 1980. Based on the mission to strengthen the union of Chinese Canadian communities, to actively integrate into mainstream Canadian society, and to get involved in the various decision-making processes at all three levels of Government related to Chinese Canadians, the organization launched the influential Chinese head tax redress campaign in 1984. After consistent effort of over 20 years, Prime Minister Steven Harper finally submitted a report to Parliament Hill, admitting that the Chinese head tax and Chinese Exclusion Act were examples of injustice and racial discrimination. He made a formal apology to those Chinese Canadian victims on behalf of the Canadian government on June 22, 2006.

　　In conclusion, since the first Chinese Canadian community was formed in 1858, 151 years have passed. Chinese Canadians regard these associations as part of their own families. They have been working, living and breeding under the love, care and help of these families, making great contributions to Canadas development as a country and Tornto as one of the top 10 most economically prosperous cities in the world.

　　（原载My Chinatown, Published by Toart Communicatons Ltd, 2010）