RECONCILIATION
SPEAKERS BUREAU
DR NADIA FERRARA
Dr. Nadia Ferrara is a dedicated public servant and humanitarian, currently serving as Ombudsperson at Indigenous Services Canada and the Privy Council Office, after holding senior roles at Parks Canada and the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime. With over a decade of experience working with Indigenous communities, a background in art therapy, and a strong academic foundation, Nadia is also an adjunct professor at McGill University and a published author, focusing on Indigenous-settler relations, trauma-informed policy development, and cross-cultural psychotherapy.
MY STORY
’m Dr. Nadia Ferrara, a dedicated public servant and passionate humanitarian. Currently, I serve as Ombudsperson at Indigenous Services Canada and the Privy Council Office, but my career has spanned several key roles. Before this, I was the Senior Director at Parks Canada, where I established the Values, Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion Directorate, and I also served as Executive Director at the Office of the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime at the Department of Justice. My career also includes time at Women and Gender Equality Canada and over a decade at Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada, where I worked closely with the First Nations and Inuit Health Branch and developed policies and frameworks in collaboration with Indigenous partners.
In addition to my public service roles, I’m proud to remain on faculty at McGill University as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Anthropology, where I supervise graduate and undergraduate students in my spare time.
Before entering the Government of Canada in 2003, I worked as an art therapist for 16 years, specializing in cross-cultural psychotherapy with Indigenous peoples in Quebec and Ontario. I hold a Master of Arts in Art Therapy, a Master of Science in Transcultural Psychiatry, and a Doctorate in Medical Anthropology.
I’ve published several journal articles and book chapters across North America and Europe, and authored books about my work with the Crees of Northern Quebec. One of my books, Reconciling and Rehumanizing Indigenous-Settler Relations, reflects on my work as an applied anthropologist and advocate for Indigenous Peoples. My latest publication, In Pursuit of Impact: Trauma and Resilience Informed Policy Development, explores the application of a human-centered approach to policy, urging us to reconnect with our humanity.
As an artist, one of my sculptures, The Friendship Knot, is permanently placed at my former high school in Montréal, where I was born and raised. I have a daughter, Mikayla, and I currently reside in Ottawa, Ontario with my life partner, Lorna.