Credit where credit is due

One would expect a politician to do everything possible to claim positive attention where it's offered. But rather than taking all the accolades for the NDP's well-received economic platform, Paul Summerville instead sets the record straight as to who deserves the credit:

I am very flattered that I am being given so much credit for such an excellent document.

However, I did not write or craft the platform...

(T)he truth must be known, Jack (Layton) is the one that pitched the tent big enough for me to come in, not to mention hundreds of thousands of other Canadians.

The NDP's economic message certainly helped to boost the party's fortunes in the election, and Summerville's contributions to that message haven't gone (and won't go) unrewarded. But it takes a substantial amount of honesty and humility to decline credit for initiatives which the media assumed to be related to Summerville's arrival.

Kudos to Summerville for making sure that credit goes where deserved. And hopefully he'll be rewarded with a seat in Parliament - and the chance to contribute to a government as well as a party platform - next time Canada goes to the polls.