Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion
| Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion | |
|---|---|
Monument to the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion in Victoria, B.C. | |
| Active | 1937–1938 |
| Country | Canada |
| Allegiance | Second Spanish Republic |
| Branch | International Brigades |
| Type | Battalion – Infantry |
| Role | Home Defence |
| Part of | XV International Brigade |
| Nickname(s) | "Mac-Paps" |
| Patron | William Lyon Mackenzie and Louis-Joseph Papineau |
| Motto(s) | "Fascism shall be destroyed!" and "Resistance is Victory!" |
| Engagements | Spanish Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Edward Cecil-Smith |
The Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion was a Canadian military unit that volunteered to fight with the XV International Brigade on the Republican side in the Spanish Civil War. Except for France, no other country had a greater proportion of its population volunteer in Spain as did Canada. The Canadian soldiers were engaged in some of the fiercest battles of 1937-38 and suffered heavy casualties.
After the war, the surviving "Mac-Paps" faced new struggles. The Canadian Foreign Enlistment Act of 1937 had prohibited citizens from participating in foreign conflicts. As a result, Canadian veterans of the Spanish Civil War were investigated as politically suspect by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The veterans were not recognized by national military institutions or in official histories. The prohibition was eventually eased at the end of the 20th century. Three Canadian monuments were erected to honor the Mackenzie-Papineau Battalion, including a monument commissioned by the federal government and installed in Ottawa in 2001. The names of all known Canadian volunteers are listed there.