The organization was created in 1980, after an incident in September 1979 when the
CTV Television Network incorrectly represented Chinese Canadians in an investigative show called
W5. In a feature called "Campus Giveaways", CTV used allegedly incorrect statistics to conclude that foreign students were eroding other Canadians' opportunities for a secondary education and benefitting from public universities funded by Canadian taxpayers.
All Chinese university students were treated as foreign students, regardless of their real nationality. The show also made numerous racial remarks about the Chinese students. The incident and the resulting campaign were reported in the Canadian media. In response, Chinese communities across Canada staged protests against CTV and forced the President of CTV to publicly apologize for the
W5 feature. After the incident, Chinese who protested against CTV across Canada staged a meeting in
Toronto. The meeting called for a stronger voice representing Chinese Canadians nationwide, thus the CCNC was formed. By 1980, the organization had developed nationwide presence with twenty-eight chapters. The
United Chinese Community Enrichment Services Society (S.U.C.C.E.S.S.) was accepted as a voting member in 1989. == Advocacy history ==