From China to Canada

From China to Canada: A History of the Chinese Communities in Canada is a 1982 book edited by Edgar Wickberg and published by McClelland & Stewart. It was collectively produced by five authors: Wickberg, Harry Con, Ronald J. Con, Graham Johnson, and William E. Willmott. The publisher produced the book in association with the Government Publishing Centre of Supply and Services Canada and the Multiculturalism Directorate of the Canadian Department of the Secretary of State. The book discusses Chinese immigration to Canada, and it covers the years 1858 to 1980. It includes comparisons of Chinese communities in urban and rural areas and across different provinces. Sucheng Chan of the University of California, Santa Cruz wrote that From China to Canada "deals systematically with developments during the "dark ages" in the history of the Chinese in North America". Tetsuden Kashima of the University of Washington wrote that the book "is a straightforward history." Peter Kong-ming New of the University of South Florida described the book as having a "sociohistorical view" of the history.

The Department of the Secretary of State of Canada's Citizenship Branch commissioned the publication of the book. There were five authors, and each specialized in a particular aspect of Chinese Canadian history. Ronald J. Con was an employee of the Department of the Secretary of State. Harry Con, a Vancouver resident and ethnic Chinese, is a businessperson. Wickberg is a historian at the University of British Columbia. Johnson and Willmot were sociologists.

Wickberg stated that he had a bias towards the West Coast, and he stated that not all parties may have satisfaction with the end result.

Godley wrote that "there has also been a real effort to see Canadian history from a Chinese perspective." He added that "The sins of past governments are everywhere on display" within the book so it "is clearly not a whitewash." Godley wrote that the Wickberg chapters are "[t]he heart of the book."

The sources used, including those in English and in other languages, include government documents, magazines, newspapers, and interviews of Chinese persons conducted by Harry and Ronald Con.

The authors stated that they were unable to obtain more information on the Consolidated Benevolent Association and the Kuomintang, and therefore the book has more information on the newer Chinese associations compared to the CBA and KMT.

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