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Indigenous-Led Consulting · Founded 2014
Walking in a
Good Way.
Research. Engagement. Advocacy. Healing.
Leadership in Business
About Us
An Agency Born from Advocacy
Tamara Kwe Consulting was founded in 2014 by Tamara Bernard — a proud mixed-race Anishinaabe Kwe and member of Gull Bay First Nation — in direct response to the national crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada.
From a foundation of lived experience, advocacy, and restorative justice, Tamara Kwe has grown into a multidisciplinary Indigenous advisory firm serving community organizations, government bodies, and the private sector across Canada.
As an Indigenous-led team, we are guided by Seven Generations thinking and the teachings of Mino-Bimaadiziwin — walking in a good way and with a good mind. What we do today carries responsibility for the generations who follow.
Indigenous-Owned & Operated
Wholly Indigenous-led, ensuring authentic representation and community accountability in every engagement.
OCAP® Certified
Trained and certified in Ownership, Control, Access, and Possession — upholding Indigenous data sovereignty in all research.
20+ Communities
Extensive experience working alongside more than 20 Indigenous communities across Canada with culturally responsive, community-driven approaches.
National Reach
Clients include the First Nations Information Governance Centre, Mississauga First Nation, Atlohsa Native Family Healing Services, Bell Media CTV, Ontario Government, Nishnawbe Aski Nation, and the Chiefs of Ontario.
Core Expertise
Where We Work
Indigenous-Led Research & Evaluation
Rigorous, story-based methodologies that centre lived experience, sovereignty, and community-led knowledge mobilization. OCAP® principles applied throughout.
Gender-Based Violence & MMIWG
Nearly two decades of specialized expertise in MMIWG, intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and systemic advocacy grounded in family and survivor perspectives.
Justice Systems & Reintegration
In-depth work with correctional institutions, probation and parole processes, Gladue principles, and community-led diversion and reintegration initiatives.
Training & Curriculum Development
Specialized training for police services, parole officers, and health organizations on MMIWG, trauma-informed approaches, and culturally safe service delivery.
Policy Analysis & Development
Rights-based policy frameworks aligned with TRC Calls to Action, UNDRIPA, and the Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry into MMIWG.
Community Engagement & Strategy
Designing and facilitating trauma-informed, culturally safe engagement processes with First Nations leadership, service providers, and community members.
Child Welfare & Mental Health
Indigenous trauma-informed, culturally safe child welfare training — including contributions to Ontario's first Indigenous healing treatment facility for children and youth.
Knowledge Mobilization & Reporting
Professional report writing, executive briefings, plain-language summaries, and community-accessible knowledge products for a range of audiences.
Meet the Founder
Tamara Bernard
Anishinaabe Kwe · Gull Bay First Nation
Tamara
Bernard
Waasaya Migizi Ikwe · Owner & Founder
2020 NOVA AwardNorthwestern Ontario Visionary Award — Leadership in Business
PhD CandidateIndigenous Education · Lakehead University
TEDx SpeakerWe Are More Than Murdered and Missing (2016)
Tamara in conversation — researcher, speaker, and storyteller
Internationally Recognized Researcher, Author & Advocate
Owner · Lead Researcher · Consultant · Educator
Tamara Bernard is a proud mixed-race Anishinaabe Kwe and member of Gull Bay First Nation whose life's work centres on advancing justice, safety, and self-determination for Indigenous women and girls. She founded Tamara Kwe Consulting in 2014 from a place of lived experience — her own family among the known cases of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.
For nearly two decades, Tamara has been a nationally recognized pioneer of Indigenous, story-based research methodologies that centre sovereignty, lived experience, and community-led knowledge mobilization. She was the first in Canada to publish storied Master's research as a family member within the context of MMIWG.
She delivers specialized training to municipal, provincial, and Indigenous police services, parole and probation officers, and health organizations — grounded in evidence-based research, coroner-level death reviews, and her analytical contributions to identifying systemic failures and missed intervention points.
Selected Publications & Works
Challenging the Legacy of Colonialism: Advocating for the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls in Canada — Published profile in Futurum Careers. Tamara shares her research on systemic discrimination against Indigenous women and girls, her personal connection to MMIWG, and her vision for a safer future grounded in Indigenous advocacy and knowledge systems.
Social and Economic Well-Being: A First Nations Gender-Balanced Analysis (2021) — Lead researcher and author, First Nations Information Governance Centre (FNIGC) Research Series. A national report leveraging First Nations survey data to examine gendered disparities in social and economic well-being across reserve and Northern communities.
My Grandmother's Bundle (2024) — advancing Indigenous trauma frameworks distinct from Western paradigms
(Re)Storying Indigenous Womanhood (2021) — Body Studies in Canada, Canadian Scholars' Press
We Are More Than Missing and Murdered: The Healing Power of Reclaiming, Restoring, and Representing (2018) — Master's Thesis, Lakehead University
See Me: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls — Co-led public education exhibit, conceived in 2013 and launched in 2014, re-launched in 2024 to expand the conversation on violence against Indigenous women and girls — now encompassing human trafficking, mental health, and the experiences of unhoused Indigenous women.
Building our Bundles — Co-led Indigenous public education exhibit launched in 2018, created alongside Anishinaabe women from the Robinson Superior region, centering their stories, lived experiences, and cultural knowledge as the foundation for community healing and public education.
Media Coverage
Artwork Based on the Stories of a Group of Northern Superior Women Highlighted at Art Launch — Anishinabe News. Media coverage of the Building our Bundles exhibit launch, featuring the stories and artwork of Anishinaabe women from the Robinson Superior region.
How This Indigenous Activist Is Working to Share the Stories Behind the Statistics — TVO Today. A feature on Tamara's work centring the humanity of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls beyond the data, and her commitment to community-led storytelling and advocacy.
Indigenous Gender-Based Violence: I Am Not Murdered, But Parts of Me Are Missing — Open Access Government. Tamara writes on the lived and intergenerational impacts of gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls, weaving personal testimony with her research and advocacy work.
Our Approach
The Indigenous 5Rs
Honouring community protocols, lived experience, and Nation-specific governance structures.
Discussions and data collection reflect the realities of those directly impacted.
Knowledge shared must result in tangible benefit — not extractive research practices.
Ethical accountability in how information is gathered, interpreted, and applied.
Trust, continuity, and cultural safety as the foundation of all engagement.
Our engagement framework is grounded in the Indigenous 5Rs — guiding how we gather knowledge and facilitate dialogue with Indigenous communities, governments, and organizations across the country.
Together, the 5Rs create a structured yet culturally grounded approach to dialogue and knowledge gathering that centres Indigenous voices, strengthens self-determined pathways, and supports long-term community well-being.
Our facilitation methods prioritize sharing circles, storytelling prompts, and participatory exercises that respect diverse communication styles and ensure all participants can meaningfully contribute.
"We are guided by Seven Generational thinking and the teachings of Mino-Bimaadiziwin — walking in a good way and with a good mind. The work we do today has lasting impacts on future generations." — Tamara Bernard, Waasaya Migizi Ikwe
Impact & Alignment
A Record of Meaningful Work
Legislative Alignment
Grounded in Rights-Based Frameworks
All Tamara Kwe work actively supports implementation of the following landmark frameworks.
TRC Calls to Action
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada's 94 Calls to Action guide and anchor our research, training, and engagement methodologies.
UNDRIPA
The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act informs our advisory practices by centring self-determination, sovereignty, and Indigenous governance systems.
MMIWG Calls to Justice
The 231 Calls to Justice from the National Inquiry into MMIWG continue to shape the original purpose and mandate of Tamara Kwe Consulting.
Get In Touch
Begin a Partnership
We work with First Nations governments, national organizations, provincial bodies, and non-profit agencies. If you are seeking a culturally grounded, Indigenous-led consulting partner, we would be honoured to connect.
Lead Consultant
Tamara Bernard, PhD Candidate
Phone
[protected]
Based In
Ontario — serving nationally