Alicia Natividad
Lifetime Contribution
A passion for improving the status of women, gender equality, and promoting equality rights has made Alicia Natividad an outstanding member of our community.
As a lawyer, Alicia has used her legal knowledge and skills to work with numerous local community and women’s organizations as well as national organizations.
As a law student, she volunteered to establish a multicultural women’s co-operative as a program of the Ottawa-Carleton Immigrant Services Organization. During her law school days and after becoming a lawyer, Alicia was an active member of Ottawa Women and the Law, the National Association of Women and the Law, Legal Education Action Fund, and other equity seeking women organizations that promoted the rights of women in Canada. Alicia also actively promotes women who want to run for political office as one way that women can affect policy changes in government and society.
Alicia is a founding member and President of the Ottawa Women’s Network and published the first Directory of Women’s Organizations in Ottawa. She provided pro bono legal services to Nelson House of Ottawa-Carleton, a shelter for abused women and their children for its first five formative years.
Alicia was also a member of the Women’s Business Network and promoted and assisted women in business, as well as assisting the Multicultural Council of Professional Women in establishing an organization to promote multicultural women professionals.
Through the Canadian Women Foundation, Alicia gave financial support to women who want to return to paid employment. Alicia represents Canada in a non-governmental role in the Global Summit of Women together with other Canadian women and women parliamentarians.
Alicia was born in the Philippines. She is very proud of her Philippine ancestry and has made significant contributions to the Philippine community in Ottawa and in Canada. Alicia was a “go-to” person for the Embassy of the Philippines as she gave legal advice to Filipina nannies who were mistreated by their Canadian employers. Alicia was one of the founding members and led the Canada Philippines Business Council for a decade. She led business missions from Canada to the Philippines.
As President of the Canada Philippines Business Council, she organized business seminars in Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa, and Manitoba to encourage business opportunities for Canadians in the Philippines. Similarly, in the Philippines, Alicia promoted Canada with Filipino businesses, professionals, and organizations.
Alicia was legal counsel to the Philippine Centre Canada, the Science and Technology Council, the Filipino Basketball Association, and assisted other Filipino Canadian organizations to incorporate and maintain their corporate existence, all pro bono.
More recently, Alicia initiated the acknowledgement by the Law Society of Ontario of Filipino Canadian lawyers in celebration of June as Filipino Heritage Month. She is one of the founding members of the Filipino Canadian Lawyers Network — Le reseau des avocats philippino canadiens (FCLN-RAPC), which was launched in June 2021.
Alicia chronicles the stories of Filipino Canadian lawyers through the partnership of FCLN-RAPC with the Osgoode Society Historical Program so that Filipino Canadian lawyers are represented and their stories told for future generations. Alicia is the first President of FCLN-RAPC and continues to be a director of the organization and lead person in its Mentorship Program and Osgoode Society Historical Program.
Alicia is also an active member of the Ottawa community at large. She was a trustee of the Ottawa Civic Hospital for six years and the Loeb Health Research Institute for three years, an Advisory Board Member for the Pearson Centre, a Charter Member of TIE Ottawa, a director of the Rideau Club, and actively participates with the Ottawa Board of Trade and Institute of Corporate Directors.
Alicia has received many awards and certificates of appreciation including the Order of Ottawa (2015), the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), the Province of Ontario Leading Women, Building Communities Award (2012), the Philippine Presidential Award for Overseas Filipinos & Associations (2004), Outstanding Filipino Canadian Award (2003), the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal (2002), and the Business and Professional Women’s Award (1994).
To this day, Alicia continues to celebrate and support her Filipino heritage, her passion for gender equality, and her active participation of the community at large in Ottawa, Canada, and abroad.
