The soldiers who made up the Mackenzie–Papineau Battalion came from both Canada and the United States. Initially, there was discussion as to whether a third American battalion should be formed: in the beginning the Americans outnumbered the Canadians 2 to 1. Later, Canadians made up about half of the unit. Unlike volunteers from Britain and the United States, who included a significant number of college students and intellectuals, the Canadian contingent was almost wholly working class. Labourers had been attracted to the left by the collapse of capitalism during the Great Depression.