Armed with the first majority mandate of his federal political career, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says his newly elected Conservative MPs are ready to get back to the business of government, but "haven't set a date yet."
Two days after voters handed his party a decisive 167 of the 308 seats in the House of Commons, Harper made the remarks as he headed into Rideau Hall Wednesday.
Addressing the eager reporters gathered outside Governor General David Johnston's official Ottawa residence, Harper said he was there to follow the tradition and "inform the Governor General that we've consulted the public and we're prepared to form a government."
After weeks of speculation surrounding the different scenarios Johnston might have to confront in the wake of the May 2 vote, the Conservatives' majority mandate make his job relatively simple.
The only question that really remains is when he will convene MPs for Parliament's 41st session.
In his brief remarks Wednesday morning, Harper promised to come back "shortly."
"But we haven't set a date yet," he added, before disappearing into Rideau Hall.
Under section 38 of the Constitution the Governor General is only obligated to summon the House "from Time to Time," meaning the precise date of the next legislative session is not set in stone. In 2008, 37 days elapsed between the vote and the first meeting of Parliament.
However long it takes, the prime minister will be using that time to hone his agenda and decide on his cabinet, including his choices to replace the four ministers who failed in their re-election bids.
Neither former Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon, Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Josee Verner, Veterans Affairs Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn nor Minister of State for Sport Gary Lunn are returning to Ottawa.
Three of them had represented ridings in Quebec, where Harper's Conservatives lost a total of five seats in Monday night's vote.
In his remarks to reporters in Calgary on Tuesday, an unusually jovial and relaxed Harper also conceded the looming political implications of his majority government's conspicuous lack of seats in Quebec.
"We accept we have a lot more work to do to gain the true confidence of Quebecers," he said.
But, as the prime minister was prone to repeating on the campaign trail, he has lots on his agenda.
First up are those parliamentary formalities of forming a government, including making his cabinet choices and being officially sworn in to office.
Then, it's on to drafting a throne speech.
Harper has made no secret of his plans to largely stay the course his minority government set before the election, however, so few expect the Governor General to relay any surprises in the speech that will open Canada's 41st session of Parliament.
The same goes for the ensuing federal budget and its expected return to the plan that was defeated on March 26.
The Tory's previously-defeated crime measures top the legislative agenda, as the party promised to pass an omnibus bill encompassing 11 pieces of law-and-order legislation within 100 working days in the Commons.
Harper has also vowed to continue his government's focus on jobs, the economy and slashing the deficit.
