This thesis was an investigation of legislative initiatives for biodiversity conservation in Canada. The first section examined how the Constitution and the system of Canadian federalism affect biodiversity protection. I determined that there are constraints on the federal government in implementing the recommendations of the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. These constraints include constitutional limitations on jurisdiction, and constraints stemming from the system of cooperative environmental federalism. The second section examined the legislative initiatives and strategies undertaken since the Convention, specifically those relating to biodiversity conservation by the federal government, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia, in the areas of wildlife conservation, land use planning, and protected areas. An analysis of protected areas legislation among jurisdictions was performed, based on criteria I developed. Legislative impediments on the protection of biodiversity in Canada exist among provinces and between the two levels of government, and these decrease management capacity.