This article explores the relationship between the valorization of cultural heritage, the preservation of collective memory and the constitution of archives as well as their digitization and their online distribution, based on the experience gained during a research project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada entitled “Construction d’une mémoire française à Ottawa” (a project led by Anne Gilbert). After a brief presentation of the project, the article examines the roles of memory and, consequently, archives for minority communities, and then considers the contribution of digital tools for the preservation and dissemination of cultural heritage.