NDP candidate Paul Summerville keeps surprising me.

The first surprise was that he’s a social democrat at all. It’s not something you expect from an economist whose resume includes names like RBC Dominion, TD Bank Financial Group, Jardine Fleming and Deutsche Bank. He was a Financial Post columnist, for god’s sake. It just doesn’t fit the media stereotype of a New Dem.

Then again, economics has always been at the heart of the party’s approach to policy. And with the party in BC attracting dynamic entrepreneurs like Gregor Robertson, Paul’s candidacy may mark a growing trend: the socially-conscious, business-minded New Democrat.

As he said in a speech on the weekend,

In my career, I have seen how wealth is created.

Wealth creation is what prosperity and social justice depend on.

Jack Layton has been making this point since he became leader, and this is why I decided to run with you on our team.

The New Democratic Party always gets top marks for its ideas and commitment to social justice but now because of Jack Layton’s leadership, Liberal greed, and Conservative confusion, the chance is ours to become the only party Canadians will trust with Canada’s economic future.

The latest surprise came with a post from last week. Paul has been blogging regularly since August, on a web site built around the open-source platform CivicSpace. It’s part of his online strategy — and I know about his online strategy because he’s posted the thing:

The first step involves a very modest launch of a simple, clean website comprising Paul’s bio and his ideas about current issues in the form of a web log or ‘blog’. Paul has been updating this blog with new ideas about 5 times a week since mid-August.

We have chosen to open Paul’s website as a blog because we want to insert Paul into the national dialogue occurring on the Internet about what is happening in Canada and the world right now. This can help establish Paul as a current and respected commentator on politics and political issues, mirroring his previous roles as a chief economist, head of research, and business head, as well as his considerable period of time looking at Canada from the outside in.

So have a look at Paul’s modest, simple web site. And comment while you’re there — he clearly wants you to.