OTTAWA - Stephen Harper is expected to recall Parliament in a matter of weeks, giving Canadians their first taste of majority government in seven years.
Officials say the prime minister is eager to return to work, where his first order of business for Harper will be swearing in a new cabinet.
Then Harper will recall Parliament, table a new speech from the throne on government intentions and introduce a budget.
No firm dates have been set, but May 30th is likely for Parliament to resume because it gives new ministers time to study their briefing books.
Harper spokesman Dimitri Soudas says the Tories want to pass the budget before the spring session ends.
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.
But Canadians are likely to see a wholly reconstructed cabinet.
The election results deprived Harper of four ministers, including three from Quebec, and that poses a major problem of regional representation.
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.
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.
