Last night the House of Commons voted on Bill C-38, the much debated Same Sex Marriage Bill. Despite the resignation of a Cabinet Minister Joe Comuzzi and what appeared to be divisions within Paul Martin’s minority government, the Bill recieved widespread support from the NDP and Bloc Quebecois allowing it to pass 158 to 133. By giving same-sex couples the same legal rights as traditional couples, Canada has become the third country in the world to legalize gay marriages.

Meanwhile, in Vancouver our city council rejected a bid by Wal-Mart to build a box store on Southeast Marine Drive. Citing various reasons from traffic congestion and protection of small businesses, to Wal-Mart’s labor practices and the “satanic nature of giant multi-national corporations”, our councillors voted 8-3 against allowing the store to be built. City Councillor Anne Roberts has stated the next step is a re-examination of the zoning laws that allowed the proposal in the first place.