During the Spanish Civil war of 1936-1939 a beleagered Spanish Government put out a call for international volunteers to combat the forces of fascism arrayed against it. 40,000 volunteers from 53 countries answered the call forming the legendary  International Brigades of the Spanish Civil war. 1500 of the volunteers travelled to Spain from Canada. Their battalion was the  Mackenzie-Papineau – the “Macpaps”. They fought bravely throughout the war against terrible odds, suffering heavy losses. This website is dedicated to the memory of those volunteers, the sacrifices that they made and the spirit in which they made them.

The three pointed star was the symbol of the International Brigades. The Macpaps added to it a Maple Leaf for their battalion symbol.

The battalion was named after William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau the leaders of the rebellions of 1837 in upper and lower Canada. They sought liberty, social justice and democracy, a spirit which the Canadian volunteers carried to Spain.