This dissertation traces the evolution of Canadian housing policy from 1935 to 1949 and examines the background to the origins of the housing problems which promoted the creation of these programs from the beginning of the 20th century. The basic housing problem, viewed as a disparity between what families needed in terms of acceptable shelter and what they could afford to pay without sacrificing other necessities of life, is shown to have reached major proportions in rapidly expanding Canadian cities in the boom period from 1900 -1913. Such gaps were exacerbated by later war induced movements of population and slowing down of new residential construction as ·a result of the inflation of building supplies. The ensuing shelter shortage and 1 abour unrest encouraged the passage of the first federal housing legislation in 1919. This program refused to accept the principle of subsidized housing. It attempted to provide low cost housing through maximum price ceilings on the cost of homes sold under the program. Consequently the homes built under the scheme were frequently of poor construction and many returned to the ownership of municipalities after the home price deflation, which took place in 1923. The program was discontinued and the revival of prosperity to the residential construction industry ended the interest of unions, architects, business groups, planners and many social work professionals in social housing. The great depression of the 1930's brought a renewal of public interest in housing problems and of federal housing programs. This new concern of professionals, unions and certain business groups in the housing problem created a backbench revolt of Conservative MP 1 S in Bennett•s government. The unanimous endorsation of the reformers• approach by the all party parliamentary housing committee led to the passage of the Dominion Housing act of 1935 by Bennett • s government. This new DHA 1egis1 a tion, however, ignored the basic request of reform opinion for subsidized low rental housing and instead provided for joint government private lender mortgage loans which could only be afforded by the top twenty per cent of Canadian fami 1 i es in terms of income. Low rental housing was assigned by the DHA to an Economic Council of Canada which never met as it was abolished by King•s government before any of its members could be appointed. Social housing was also shunted aside by the National Housing Acts of 1938 and 1944. These provided unworkable legislation which promised, but could not produce, limited dividend, low rental housing. As a result of the necessities of the Second World War,opposition of the Department of Finance to publicly constructed rental housing was briefly set aside by the federal government. The protests of tenants kept such construction, first for munitions workers and later directed to returning veterans, as an important factor in the immediate post-war years. However this large scale program of social housing, would be replaced by a very low volume public housing effort in the NHA amendments of 1949. This legislation )which finally committed the federal government to the controversial principle of subsidized housing )would provide only a trickle of units until it was amended after 1964. Federal policy had discouraged social housing while encouraging the development of a housing industry dominated by large scale residential builders. It was these large scale developers, fostered by federal interventions such as the Integrated Housing Program, that would largely shape future Canadian urban residential development. / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)