Over 200 protesters objecting to the federal government's enthusiastic support for Alberta's tar sands and the Keystone pipeline XL were arrested Monday morning as they attempted to stage a sit-in in the House of Commons.

The protesters wanted the chance to air their grievances with the environmentally reckless policies of the Harper-led Conservatives inside Parliament but were blocked from entering by fenced barricades and over 50 RCMP officers.

The protesters were encouraged by hundreds of boisterous supporters as they passed the media scrum and calmly hopped over police barricades.

Dozens of protesters objecting to the federal government's enthusiastic support for Alberta's Tar Sands and the Keystone XL pipeline running from Alberta to the Gulf of Mexico were arrested Monday as they attempted to stage a sit-in in the House of Commons.

Those arrested in the first wave of protesters trying to gain access to the House included chairperson of The Council of Canadians, Maude Barlow, and Dave Coles, the president of Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, along with his executive assistant and rabble.ca blogger Fred Wilson.

The protesters aired their grievances with the environmentally reckless policies of the Harper led Conservatives inside Parliament but were blocked from entering by fenced barricades up to 100 RCMP officers.

"I know why it is called grassroots... since I began to garden, I know that when you pull up the roots, if a small piece remains, more grass will grow."

- b!wilder, spoken word artist

Nearly 2,000 international delegates, grassroots activists, academics, and policymakers congregated for the 30th anniversary of the Women's World Congress in Ottawa from July 4 to 7. With plenaries translated simultaneously into English, French, Spanish and American Sign Language, each day's sessions were based upon the themes Breaking Cycles, Breaking Ceilings, Breaking Barriers and Breaking Ground, under the broader theme: "Inclusions, exclusions and seclusions: Living in a globalized world."

Election 2011: rabble.ca has chosen 10 key ridings across Canada for progressives to watch in the run-up to the May 2 vote, and asked local writers to assess them. The profiles highlight why the riding is important and issues local campaigns are focused on.

In Gatineau, incumbent Bloc MP Richard Nadeau is fighting hard to retain his seat, which he won from the previous Liberal MP with a handful of votes. That MP was no one else than Françoise Boivin, now running for the NDP!

Boivin's defection from the Liberal Party was controversial, linked with allegations (not proven) of malpractices. It now seems in any case that Françoise has the capacity to regain her seat as she is benefiting from the orange crush "wave".