"Of all national assets, archives are the most precious; they are the gift of one generation to another and the extent of our care of them marks the extent of our civilization."
--Sir Arthur Doughty, Dominion Archivist, 1904-1935

The National Archives' Gatineau Preservation Centre is a state-of-the-art facility, located in Gatineau, Québec, across the river from Ottawa . Enclosed in an outer "shell" of glass are 48 vaults, where our national heritage is preserved and protected. The upper floor of the Centre is a "village" of laboratories where experts conserve, copy and expedite access to our national treasures.

Living Memory is a virtual exhibition of some of these treasures, a selection from the millions of documents in the Archives holdings. Each of these manuscripts, photographs, films, maps, videos, books, artworks, government records and philatelic holdings is part of our collective memory as a nation. We are beginning with the present documents and will add more as time goes on. We hope that your visit will help to bring Canada's past to life.