MONTREAL (CBC) - Action D?mocratique du Qu?bec Leader Mario Dumont acknowledges there is no quick solution for his party's foundering fortunes after a dismal showing in three provincial byelections this week.

The ADQ leader shuffled his shadow cabinet on Thursday, giving Opposition house leader S?bastien Proulx the position of education critic, and naming former education critic Fran?ois Desrochers intergovernmental affairs critic.

The caucus's leading members, including Gilles Taillon, ?ric Caire and Catherine Morrissette, remain in their respective positions.

The minor shuffle comes days after the ADQ was crushed in a trio of provincial byelections, losing popular vote support across the board.

The results reflect what popular opinion polls have suggested this spring, that the ADQ is in a free fall.

Dumont said he's aware of his party's difficulties, but will proceed with prudence. "We don't think that looking for solutions in the short-term would be the right thing to do at this point," he said Thursday.

A senior party strategist told CBC News that the party's real hope is to regroup over the summer, when politics take a back seat to vacations and barbecues.

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