OTTAWA - Stephen Harper is expected to recall Parliament in a matter of weeks to give Canadians their first taste of majority government in seven years.

Officials said the prime minister has been eager to return to work, and appeared to be in a hurry while visiting the Governor General at his Rideau Hall residence early Wednesday.

"I informed the Governor General that we consulted the public and we're prepared to form a government and we'll be getting back to him shortly," Harper said after speaking in private with David Johnston.

The first order of business for Harper is to swear in a new cabinet.

Then he'll recall Parliament, table a new speech from the throne on government intentions and introduce a budget.

No firm dates have been set, but May 30 is likely for Parliament to resume because it gives new ministers time to study their briefing books.

"Back at work," said Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas. "We want to pass the budget before the spring session goes into the summer."

Soudas said if Canadians want to know what the government intends to do, they need only read the Conservative election platform.

"We have a four-year mandate and we campaigned on a clear platform ... so everything that's in the platform are going to be things we're moving forward with."

That includes a measure to phase out public financing of political parties, which nearly cost Harper control of government after the election of 2008 when it was inserted in the economic update. This time, he needn't fear anything more than harsh words from the opposition.

During the recent campaign, both Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Harper insisted that if they were re-elected, they would table the same budget the opposition rejected in March.

That is still the view today, said Soudas, adding he could not go into details about budget contents.

Canadians are also likely to see a wholly reconstructed cabinet.

The election results deprived Harper of four ministers -- three from Quebec -- posing a major problem of regional representation.

He has only six -- and depending on the results of a judicial recount as few as five -- to choose from in Canada's second most populous province.

The biggest hole to fill is that of Lawrence Cannon at Foreign Affairs, but he will also need a new a veterans affairs minister to replace Jean-Pierre Blackburn.

The paucity of choices would seem to leave the door open for Maxime Bernier to come in from the cold, where he has caused headlines and headaches for the government with his musings about Quebec's language laws and the gold standard.

Before the former foreign affairs minister left classified documents at his girlfriend's residence, and was booted from cabinet, Bernier was a rising star in the party.

Harper also must find replacements for stalwarts Stockwell Day at Treasury Board and Chuck Strahl at Transport and Infrastructure, who did not run in the election.

Despite the losses, the prime minister still has a competent front bench returning, including Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, Industry Minister Tony Clement, House Leader John Baird, Jason Kenney at Immigration, Rob Nicholson at Justice and Peter MacKay at Defence.

The number of vacancies, however, gives the prime minister an opportunity to make a major shuffle or responsibilities.

It is almost certain that Flaherty will remain at finance, however, given that his budget is being re-introduced virtually untouched.

Harper is also expected to introduce tough-on-crime measures bundled into an omnibus bill, including legislation to give citizens greater leeway in protecting themselves against criminals, something promised in the campaign.