And if those beach-goers like the photographs they snapped during their vacation in the sun, they should thank us a second time. We're a leading producer of silver, a major component in developing and printing pictures. In years past, Canadians who strived for hockey medals did so on blades of steel. Now, on skates comprised of complex alloys, players pass and shoot with sticks of graphite. Young baseball players swing for the fences with aluminum bats while skateboarders soar for the skies on wheels with aluminum bearings.
Golfers shave strokes with graphite drivers.
At local clubs and neighbourhood courts, tennis players call on the services of graphite-fibre and aluminum racquets to drive the ball beyond the reach of opponents. Mining is a rich vein running through the lives of all Canadians. Not a day passes that we are not healthier, richer and better informed because of the treasures we extract from the earth. Mining is plugged into the electrical needs of Canadians. Coal and uranium provide one-third of our electrical requirements every day.