Screenshot from the online video 'W5 Campus Giveaway: A Rebuttal'

September 30, 1979, CTV's W5 program aired 'Campus Giveaway,' controversially suggesting foreign students, particularly Chinese from Hong Kong, unfairly took university spots. This episode was widely condemned by Chinese Canadians as racist and inaccurate. The ensuing outrage was a major catalyst for the Chinese Canadian community, leading directly to the formation of the Chinese Canadian National Council (CCNC) in 1980. The CCNC became a vital national organization advocating against racial discrimination, for equal rights, and for positive media representation of Chinese Canadians. This event marked a pivotal moment in Chinese Canadian activism and their collective efforts to combat systemic racism and assert their place in Canadian society.