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As parliamentarians prepare for the summer break and Conservative Leader Andrew Scheersettles into his new job, polls suggest the Liberals retaineda comfortable lead over theirrivals in the last quarter, haltinga steep decline in support suffered earlier this year.

In polls conducted between March1 and May 31, the Liberals averaged 40.7 per cent support among decided voters, a slight increase over where the party stood in the previous quarter.

That should come as a relief to Justin Trudeau, whose party dropped 6.8 points in popular support during the winter.

(Red: Liberals, Blue: Conservatives, Orange: NDP, Green: Greens, Teal: Bloc Qubcois) (Natale Holdway)

The Liberals declinedfor the third consecutive quarter in British Columbia, the Prairies and Atlantic Canada, but arestill polling above their2015 federal election result largely due to the gains the partyhas held in Quebec.

The Conservatives trailedwith 30.3 per cent support as the leadership race was coming to an end, a drop of 1.5 points from the previous quarter. The party balanced gains in the Prairies and Atlantic Canada with losses in Alberta, Ontario and B.C., wherethe Conservatives are still polling significantly below 2015 levels.

The New Democrats, in the midst of a leadership race of their own and who have gained 4.3 points over the last two quarters, were up to 17.6 per cent, their best quarterly result since the last election.

The party was boosted by gains in B.C., Ontario and Quebec, though the NDP is still below its 2015 election result in that province.

The Greens and Bloc Qubcoisaveraged 5.3 and 4.8 per cent support, respectively.

While it is too early to know what Scheer's short-term impact on the Conservatives' polling numbers will be, a few surveys have provided some hints.

Scheer, a Saskatchewan MP who beat a crowded field to takethe leadership in May, was previously the House Speaker. The 38-year-old narrowly defeated Quebec MPMaxime Bernierin the contest to replace former prime minister Stephen Harper

A Mainstreet/Postmedia poll gave the Conservatives a two-point bump with Scheer as leader. A Forum Research poll showed the Conservatives down one point compared to where they stood in April.

Neither of these shifts wasstatistically significant.

Nanos Research, which conducts a four-week rolling poll, published new numbers on Tuesday with half of the sample dating from after Scheer's leadership win. It put the Conservatives at 30.5 per cent, up from the 28.6 per cent Nanos pegged the party at just before Scheer took over.

But the sample still contains pre-Scheer data. More polls will be needed before Scheer's impact if any can be adequately judged.

Polls by Mainstreet and the Angus Reid Institute (ARI), however, suggest Scheer has work to do to become better known. Fully 63 per cent of respondents in Mainstreet's poll were not familiar with Scheer or were not sure of their opinion of him, while ARI put the number of Canadians who have either not heard of Scheer or who were only familiar with his name at 75 per cent.

Since the last quarter, the Liberals suffered their steepest declines in Quebec and Atlantic Canada.

The Liberals led with 42.4 per cent support in Quebec, down 2.3 points from the last quarter but still up almost seven points from the last election.

The NDP, at 19.2 per cent, was still six points below its election performance (the NDP-to-Liberal swing in Quebec remains the largest anywhere in the country) but has gained 4.9 points over the last two quarters.

At 19.7 per cent, the Bloc is polling narrowly above its 2015 election result. The party gained 1.5 points since the last quarter, suggesting new leader Martine Ouellet might have had only a small positive impact on the party's fortunes.

The Liberals dropped 7.5 points over three consecutive quarters in Atlantic Canada, falling to 54.7 per cent. The Conservatives, who picked up 5.5points over that time, were up to 24 per cent.

The Conservatives were down over three points in both B.C. and Alberta in the last quarter drops that a new Western Canadian leader may help to reverse.

The Conservatives were down to 24.4 per cent in B.C., putting them still well below their 2015 election result in the province.

The Liberals dropped for the third consecutive quarter in B.C. to 37.8 per cent (down 8.4 points over that time).

The New Democrats, at 25.8 per cent, gained 7.4 points over the last two quarters, perhaps buoyed by the provincial NDP'srecent success in B.C.

The Conservatives were down 3.3 points in Alberta to 56.7 per cent. The Liberals were over 30 points back at 26.3 per cent.

In Saskatchewan and Manitoba, the Conservatives gained for the third consecutive quarter to hit 43 per cent, followed by the Liberals at 32.6 per cent. The party has dropped 9.9 points over the last three quarters in the two provinces.

The Liberals led in Ontario with 43.9 per cent, followed by the Conservatives at 34.2 per cent. Compared to the previous quarter, the margin between the two parties widened by over four points.

But while the Liberals and Conservatives have been wobbling back-and-forth in the province, the New Democrats have made gains in three consecutive quarters, up 4.5 points over that period to hit 16.4 per cent nearly matching their 2015 election result in Ontario.

Altogether, the numbers suggest that the Liberals would have been able to secure another majority government in an election held in the last three months. In all likelihood, it would have been an expanded majority primarily thanks to inroads in Quebec at the expense of the NDP.

But the Conservatives would have held their own, roughly matching their 2015 result. If former interim leader Rona Ambrosewas hoping to "do no harm" before she handed the party off to her successor, she was successful. Any new Conservative gains or losses from here on out will be Scheer's alone.

These quarterly poll averages are based on the results of 14national and regional public opinion polls conducted between March 1 and May 31 2017 by eightdifferent pollsters, interviewing just under 23,000 Canadian adults using a variety of methodologies, including online panels, interactive voice response and telephone interviews.

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Liberals lead quarterly poll report as Andrew Scheer looks to boost Conservatives - CBC.ca

The new B.C. minister responsible for TransLink has announced an about-face on his party's stance on Metro Vancouver transit funding.

Sam Sullivan says if Metro Vancouver mayors want a new transit funding mechanism like a regional sales tax, a referendum will no longer be required.

"What has changed? It's called 'an election,'" Sullivan told On The Coast host Stephen Quinn.

"We just hollowed out in the urban areas of Vancouver. [Premier Christy Clark] heard that message loud and clear.

"She approached me, asked my opinion on where we went wrong, how we could repair this relationship both with the municipal governments and the voters and the urban areas. I said the most symbolic thing we could do, for a start, is get rid of this referendum requirement."

Sullivan says now that he is minister for the time being getting more transit in Metro Vancouver will be a top priority.

The Liberals insisted on the necessity fora referendum for new transit funding during the 2013 election, as well as during the run-up to the unsuccessful transit referendum in 2015 and even just months ago, during the 2017 election, whenClark reiterated her commitment to one during the leaders' radio debate.

"The NDP have said that they want to give the mayors the right be able to to hike people's taxes: vehicle levy, sales tax, who knows what it would be?" she said.

"We are still committed to making sure that if there is any new revenue source required from cities for TransLink, we will go to a referendum on that. We won't just let them hike taxes."

But now, Sullivan says his party is interested in connecting with urban voters, especially with an election coming possibly sooner than four years from now.

"These will be values we are going to the voters with."

Listen to the full interview with Sam Sullivan:

Simon Fraser University political scientist David Moscrop says while the about-face could be viewed as cynical politics, it's also an example of the democratic system working.

"A party adjusted its policy because it's what people wanted."

But if Sullivan, a former Vancouver mayor, was the driving force for the change, it could speak to him taking on a more prominent role in the party.

His appointment as minister of community development and minister responsible for TransLink this week is his first time in cabinet.

Moscrop suspects this might be the first of several policies the Liberals rethink, as they look for a way to return to power in the event they lose a non-confidence voteat the end of June as expected.

Moscrop agrees an election could come sooner than expected, and the Liberals know they need to do better in Metro Vancouver.

"They became arrogant, out of touch. And now they've got some re-evaluation to do," he said.

"It could very well be that this is people saying, 'look, if youwant to govern again,this is the way it's gotta be. you're going to need Metro Vancouver.'"

With files from CBC Radio One's On The Coast

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BC Liberals drop referendum requirement for new transit funding - CBC.ca

Laura Miller has parted ways with the BC Liberals after an election result that appears set to force the party from power and several months before she is scheduled to stand trial in Ontario for charges related to that provinces gas-plant scandal.

Ms. Miller, who joined the BC Liberals just before the 2013 election and returned this year as campaign director, announced her departure on Twitter: I am moving on professionally and geographically.

She leaves as the party faces almost certain defeat in the legislature.

The May 9 election left her party, which has held power for 16 years, reduced to 43 seats. The NDP and the Greens, with a combined 44 seats, have reached a deal to topple the Liberals at the first opportunity. Premier Christy Clark appointed a new postelection cabinet this week, but acknowledges that in the wake of the election, she expects to lose a vote of confidence in the House later this month.

The Premier has not acknowledged the election result as a loss and her party said in a statement that Ms. Millers departure was always in the works: Laura signed on to see the party through the 2017 campaign, and now is transitioning out of her role as planned, a party official said in a statement.

Ms. Miller has become a controversial figure in Ontario and B.C.

She is scheduled to go to trial this fall in Ontario on a criminal charge of breach of trust stemming from the deletion of e-mails about the Ontario Liberals costly decision to cancel two gas plants before the 2011 election. Ms. Miller has said she plans to mount a vigorous defence and has raised nearly $80,000 through a crowdfunding campaign to pay her legal costs.

The charges prompted her to temporarily step away from her job as executive director of the BC Liberals in late 2015, but she returned last year in the lead-up to the election campaign.

Ms. Miller was at the centre of a mid-campaign gaffe this spring when the BC Liberals were forced to backtrack on her claim that a voter who tried to speak to Ms. Clark at a campaign event was an NDP plant. The citizen was brushed off by Ms. Clark after saying she wasnt voting for the Liberals, sparking a widespread social media backlash, with the hashtag #IAmLinda.

Ms. Clark has repeatedly expressed support for Ms. Miller and defended her conduct in the Ontario Liberal government, describing her as a person of the utmost integrity.

Ms. Millers departure comes as the Liberals prepare to recall the legislature on June 22, launching a process that is expected to lead to the defeat of the minority Liberal government.

While the Premier acknowledges the party is likely to lose, she has insisted her government must follow parliamentary conventions to the letter rather than hastening its own demise.

The Liberals initially suggested they would throw a wrench into the works by refusing to have any of their MLAs to stand as Speaker of the house as Parliamentary convention dictates.

Because the balance of power will be so precarious, the political party that gives up a member from their voting ranks will lose a critical advantage.

The Speaker can vote to break ties in the House, but it will be challenging to pass legislation if that becomes the routine requirement.

Now, Ms. Clark says her party will ensure a Speaker is in the chair as long as her party sits on the government benches. So as long as we are in government, we will ensure that theres a Speaker.

On Tuesday, Green Leader Andrew Weaver challenged Ms. Clark to not only ensure a Liberal sits in the Speakers chair, but he said that person should remain in the post even if the Liberals fall on a confidence vote.

It is entirely not tradition to have a Speaker resign. If they do that, she is playing politics and frankly I think the electorate will punish the BC Liberals for that, he said.

We are elected to put British Columbians first, not to put our political ambitions and careers first.

Andrew Wilkinson, a senior Liberal cabinet minister, said the problem of the Speaker is one that the NDP and the Greens should have figured out before they reached a pact to bring down his government.

They have to have a workable arrangement thats going to work for governance of British Columbia, and its becoming clear they havent thought this through.

Follow Justine Hunter on Twitter: @justine_hunter

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Campaign director Laura Miller stepping down from BC Liberals - The Globe and Mail

Liberal legal group Alliance for Justice is mounting new opposition to three of President Trump's judicial nominees set to go before the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

The Alliance for Justice and its partners are particularly targeting John K. Bush's nomination to the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, Damien Schiff's nomination to the U.S. Court of Federal Claims and Kevin Newsom's nomination to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.

On Tuesday, the Alliance for Justice organized a call slamming these three nominees with the input of leading progressives from People for the American Way, The Leadership Council on Civil and Human Rights, NARAL Pro-Choice America, Human Rights Campaign and the Sierra Club.

"If [Bush is] confirmed, you can bet that it will be to the detriment of women and families," said Sasha Bruce, NARAL Pro-Choice America senior vice president, on Tuesday. "NARAL Pro-Choice America has convened our progressive allies and our 1.2 million member activists to place hundreds of calls to the Judiciary Committee offices urging senators to oppose this shady blogger's nomination. We're doing this because we know the damage that Donald Trump and Mike Pence want to inflict on women isn't limited to the White Houseit's in Congress and it's certainly into the courts."

Bruce's characterization of Bush as a "shady blogger" stems from liberals' complaints that Bush blogged political commentary under a pseudonym, which Bush acknowledged in paperwork he submitted to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Others on the call took issue with Schiff; Kristine Lucius, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights executive vice president for policy, said she clerked on the Court of Federal Claims and said Republican obstruction prevented President Obama's nominees from joining the court that Schiff seeks to join.

"President Obama had five nominations to the court of claims in 2014 and not one of the five were confirmed because of the claims of Sen. Tom Cotton who said that the court's caseload did not justify any additional judges," Lucius said. "Now that Trump has named judges to the same court, it'll be interesting to see whether Sen. Cotton will take the same position and object to confirmation of any further judges on this court or if he will suddenly have a change of heart."

The Alliance for Justice has also developed dossiers on several of Trump's nominees. AFJ's report on Bush said he "is a deeply flawed candidate with a history of offensive writings and statements that under ordinary circumstances would quickly disqualify him for a role on the federal bench."

AFJ has previously aired grievances with Bush's pseudonymous blog postings, and AFJ received pushback from Bush's allies across the political spectrum.

In the dossier on Newsom, AFJ notes the nominee's ties to 11th Circuit Judge William Pryor, who AFJ called an "extremely controversial nominee," and claimed then-Sen. Jeff Sessions helped clear the way to Newsom's nomination by blocking President Obama's selection.

"Given his record, Newsom, a member of the Federalist Society, must demonstrate at his hearing that he can be a fair and apolitical judge rather than a far-right ideologue committed to an agenda of rolling back long-cherished constitutional rights," AFJ wrote in its report.

The Federalist Society, a right-leaning legal organization, has come under fire from progressives throughout the confirmation process for several of Trump's judicial nominees.

AFJ's attack on Schiff focused on his personal character as opposed to his affiliations or resume.

AFJ's report claims that Schiff once "called Justice Anthony Kennedy a 'judicial prostitute'" and is "sorely unfit to serve as a judge."

"The fact of the matter is, on issue after issue, Damien Schiff wants to use his prospective position as a judge to roll back essential protections and prevent local officials, states and the federal government, including Congress, from addressing issues of public policy and the critical needs of the American people," AFJ wrote in its report on Schiff.

"He is temperamentally unfit to serve as a judge, and his views are dangerousregularly rejected by even the most conservative federal judges. He simply should not serve as a federal judge."

Whether the progressives organizing in opposition to Trump's judicial nominees remains to be seen. The Senate Judiciary Committee is set to consider the nominations of Bush, Schiff, and Newsom on Wednesday.

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Liberals mount new opposition to Trump judicial nominees ahead of hearings - Washington Examiner

NewsBusters (blog)

Finally: Journalist Writes of Liberals' 'Righteous, Ineffectual' Rage NewsBusters (blog) Jess Walter recognizes an ironic truth: in hating perceived hate, admitted liberals are nevertheless 'hating.' And in attempting to fix the planet, saving it from Duane's 12-gallon-a-mile truck, Jay falls obviously short of his intended goal, not ...

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Finally: Journalist Writes of Liberals' 'Righteous, Ineffectual' Rage - NewsBusters (blog)