加拿大華人參政應該是從1947年5月加拿大聯邦政府廢除《華人移民法》開始，但華人僅參加選舉。直到1957年鄭天華參加競選國會議員勝利後，大大鼓舞加國華人參加競選活動，而且不少華人在競選國會、省、市（區）議員中勝出。據統計，1957-2008年，華人當選爲國會議員者有23人（次），他們是：1957年當選的鄭天華（保守黨）；1974年的李橋棟（自由黨）；1997年的陳卓愉、梁陳明任（自由黨）；麥鼎鴻（保守黨）、荘文浩（保守黨）；2001年的梁陳明任、麥鼎鴻、荘文浩；2006年的鄒至蕙（新民主黨）、陳卓愉、麥鼎鴻、荘文浩、黄美麗（魁人政團）；2008年的鄒至蕙、荘文浩、黄陳小萍（保守黨）、麥鼎鴻、黄美麗（參見《澳門日報》1998年9月21日、《加中時報》2008年7月8日）。

　　而1957-1997年當選爲省議員的有5人（次），市（區）議員35人（次）。此後當選者也不少，如2000-2005年秦儀連當選卑詩省議員；2008年葉志明、張杏芳、李燦明、關惠貞當選爲卑詩省議員等。同時，有不少華人被任命爲聯邦、省、市（區）政府的官員，直接參加政府行使權力。如1957年，華人鄭天華（Douglas Jung）在當選國會議員後被任命爲加拿大駐聯合國代表；1957年華人Ruth-Lor（女）被任命爲加拿大教聯和北極事務部合辦的愛斯基摩人康復中心副主任；1964年，黄景培被任命爲聯邦政府衛生部部長助理；1993年，陳卓愉被任命爲聯邦外交部亞太事務部部長；1988年，林思齊被任命爲卑詩省總督；1999年，伍冰枝被任命爲第26届聯邦總督；2004年，陳卓愉被任命爲聯邦多元文化國務部部長、荘文浩被任命爲聯邦政府事務暨體育部部長；2008年，黄陳小萍被任命爲多元文化國會秘書。被任命爲省、市、（區）政府官員者更多些。2008年，林祐民被任命爲阿爾伯塔省總督；2009年6月，李紹麟被任命爲曼尼托巴省總督等等。

　　值得指出的是，在華人出任加拿大各級政府官員中，有林思齊、林佑民、李紹麟出任省督和伍冰枝出任聯邦總督等高官，是目前華人參政成功的範例。伍冰枝（Adrienne Louse-Clarkson），祖籍廣東臺山縣人，1961年獲得多倫多大學學士學位，1961-1962年在巴黎大學文理學院修讀碩士學位課程。1965年在加拿大廣播公司任職節目製作與主持。1982-1987年任安大略省駐法國代表。1999年9月任加拿大總督，至2005年9月27日。她是加拿大第二位女性、第一任非白人和没有政治和軍事背景的總督，是加拿大華人有史以來的第一位女總督，廣大華人華僑均以此爲自豪。

　　誠然，能够被選爲加拿大的各級議員和出任官員的華人，畢竟是極少數。廣大華人爲了更好地參政，均成立各種群衆性的議政、參政社會團體，吸收更多關心加拿大國家政治的人士參加，積極向議會及政府反映廣大華人的各種意見和提出各種建議，爲加拿大國家的社會經濟和文化的發展獻計獻策，爲廣大華人謀求更多的權益。例如安大略省成立了華人參政會，除了平時積極向政府獻計外，還召開各種研討會，爲政府出謀劃策。2009年1月12日，安大略省華人參政會就在城市廣場舉辦了《2009年公開經濟論壇》研討會，邀請加拿大的經濟學家、財政金融專家、投資理財顧問、政黨代表、議員和媒體等20多人出席，探討使加拿大經濟提早復蘇的謀略。在會議上，大家就政府擴大投資公共交通、基本建設、房地産業等提出建議，要求政府支援汽車、農業等行業，扶持中小型企業，增加就業的發展持續勞動市場、信用貸款、創意工業等，從而得到聯邦政府重視，邀請會長陳嘉年參加1月16日的特别聯邦政府會議，並提交研討會議結果——長達123頁的《振興經濟建議書》，以備聯邦政府制訂預算案之諮詢參考。

　　（本文與龐秀聲合作，本人修改。原載：《話説唐人街》，加拿大多藝傳媒出版公司2010年版。）

　　編者按：全文翻譯爲英文如下。

　　Chinese Canadians in Politics

　　The history of Chinese Canadians in politics started in May, 1947 when the “Chinese Immigration Act” was abolished by the Canadian Federal Government. At that time, Chinese Canadians could vote in elections, but did not run for office. It wast until 1957, when Douglas Jung became the first Chinese Canadian to win an election campaign for Member of Parliament. This greatly inspired other Chinese Canadians to participate in election campaigna. Afterwards, there were many Chinese Canadians who won campaigns in the federal, provincial and municipal elections. Statistics have been elected as Federal Members of Parliament twenty-three times between 1957 and 2008. They are:

　　Douglas Jung （1957, Conservative）

　　Art Lee （1974, Liberal）

　　Raymond Chan （1993, 1997, 2004, 2006, Liberal）;

　　Sophia Leung （1997, 2001, Liberal）,

　　Inky Mark （1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, Conservative）,

　　Michael Chong （1997, 2001, 2004, 2006, 2008, Conservative）

　　Olivia Chow （2006, 2008, NDP）,

　　Meili Faile （2006, 2008, Bloc Québécois）,

　　Alice Wong （2008, Conservative）

　　（Macao daily news, September 21, 1998; Chinese Canadian Times July 8, 2008）.

　　Five Chinese Canadian candidates have been elected to Provincial offices and thirty-five Chinese Canadian candidates have been elected as Municipal Council Members from 1957 to 1997. More recently, there have been many successful Chinese candidates, such as those who were elected as Members of Legislative Assembly （MLA） of B.C during 2000-2005; John Yap, Ida Chong, Richard T. Lee and Jenny Kwan, whom were all elected for MLA of B.C in 2008, Plus many others.

　　Meanwhile, many Chinese Canadians have been appointed as government officials at the federal, provincial and municipal levels, and have directly participated in exerting their political power. For example, Douglas.

　　Jung was appointed as a representative for Canada in the United Nations in 1957; Ruth Lor Malloy was appointed as assistant director of the Eskimo Recovery Centre in 1957; Peter Wong was appointed as the Assistant of the Federal Health Minister in 1964; Raymond Chan was appointed as the Secretary of State （Asia-Pacific） in 1993; David Lam was appointed as the BC Provincial Governor in 1988; Adrienne Clarkson was appointed as the 26th Governor General of Canada in 1999; Raymond Chan was appointed as the Minister of State （Multiculturalism）, Michael Chong was appointed as the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and the Minister for Sport in 2004; and Alice Wong was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary in 2008. More Chinese Canadians were appointed as federal, provincial and municipal government officials. Norman L. K wong was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Alberta in 2008; Philip S. Lee was appointed as the Lieutenant Governor of Manitoba in June, 2009 and so on.

　　It is worthwhile to point out that the highest ranking Chinese Canadians in politics were David Lam, Norman K wong and Philip Lee, who all served as Provincial Lieutenant Governors; and Adrienne Clarkson, who served as the Governor General of Canada.

　　Adrienne Clarksons ancestral hometown is Taishan Guangdong, China. She received an MA at the University of Toronto in 1961 and studied at the Sorbonne, Paris from 1961 to 1963. She began a career as a TV host-interviewer for CBC News in 1965. She was appointed as Ontarios Agent General in Paris from 1982 to 1987. In September 1999 to September 27, 2005 she was appointed as Governor General. She was the second female, as well as the first without a military background and the first non-white Canadian, to be Governor General. She is the first female governor and head of state in Chinese Canadian history. Chinese Canadians and overseas Chinese are proud of her.

　　The Chinese Canadians who have succeeded in election campaigns and have served as officials are only a small group of Chinese Canadians. There are a lot of Chinese Canadians who are active participating members of civic social groups. They collect opinions and suggestions from the community and submit it to different levels of government, to help government make informed decisions and fight for Chinese Canadian rights.

　　Chinese Canadian Political Action Committee of Ontario （CCPACO） is one of these groups. CCPACO held a seminar titled “Public Economy in 2009” at the Metro Square on January 12, 2009. More than 20 people attended the forum, including economic scholars, financial experts, investment consultants, political party representatives, MP, MPP ,city councilors, and media. At the seminar, they discussed issues such as increasing government investment in public transit, infrastructure, the real estate industry, and other topics under the current economic crisis. They also proposed that the government should support the automobile industry, agriculture, small and medium-sized enterprises, increase employment opportunities, as well as continually developing the labor market, credit loans, and the creative industry in order to help Canadas economy recover sooner. A 123 page report was presented to the Federal Government on January 16.

　　（原載My Chinatown, Published by Toant Communications Lstd, 2010）