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 profiled is important and issues local campaigns are focused upon.

Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar is the riding to watch on May 2nd. It's a two-party race, Conservatives vs. NDP, and every political pundit in the country is saying it's "too close to call."

Kelly Block was relatively unknown when she ran and won for the Conservatives in 2008, having previously served as mayor of the town of Waldheim, outside of the riding. Like many of the Cons candidates in 2008, she kept a low profile and stayed out of the community debates.

International Women's Week is celebrating its 100th anniversary, but the gender gap persists . The president of Times Change in Toronto describes how her women's employment service is bridging the divide.

This year's International Women's Day (IWD) theme of equal access to education, training and technology is particularly meaningful for Arshia Raafat, President of the Board of Directors of Times Change Employment Service. The theme emphasizes the tenets of her Toronto-based, not-for-profit agency.

In an attempt to discuss the impact of residential schools on the families of survivors and strategies for the future, the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs is opening a national intergenerational conference next week in Winnipeg. It is the first intergenerational event on the issue that is First Nations-led.

The Missing Women Commission of Inquiry held hearings in Vancouver on Monday to determine which groups and individuals should be granted standing at the Inquiry, which will begin later this year.

Commissioner Wally Oppal began the proceedings by addressing a roomful of lawyers who represented victims' family members, women's rights advocates, aboriginal leaders, and other interest groups seeking standing.

In his opening remarks, Oppal explained that the government of B.C. established the Commission of Inquiry in September 2010 to answer questions raised during the Robert William Pickton trial.