YELLOWKNIFE, NWT - Prime Minister Stephen Harper has called his ministers to Ottawa next week for an anticipated cabinet shuffle.
Several government officials said the prime minister wants to meet with his ministers privately -- the same way he did before his last cabinet shuffle in January.
One government source said the shuffle will not include any promotions to cabinet from among the current crop of Conservative backbenchers.
The stage is also set for a possible relaunch of Parliament with a new throne speech. Senior government bureaucrats have been asked to deliver a status report this summer on the top priorities for their department.
With the minority Parliament now appearing more stable than expected and election speculation dimming, those possible moves are designed to prepare the Conservatives for an extended term in office.
Harper's chief of staff Ian Brodie sent out a vaguely worded email asking ministers to be in Ottawa as of Monday.
''It was just, 'Please everybody be available the week of the 13th','' said one government official. ''It didn't say why.''
The last time Harper conducted such an exercise was late December, when he held a series of one-on-one meetings with his ministers just days before shuffling his cabinet.
While no new ministers will be added, the government source said some could be demoted.
O'Connor out?
Speculation is rampant the Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor will be shuffled out, and Revenue Minister Carol Skelton could also be on the move after announcing her impending retirement from politics.
The stage also appears set for the possible interruption and relaunching of Parliament -- commonly called prorogation -- with a new throne speech outlining the government's priorities this fall.
Senior departmental bureaucrats have been asked to produce a report this summer on what progress they've made on implementing government priorities and to outline their major plans.
''They've been digging around most of the summer asking people for ideas,'' said one government source.
Officials in Harper's office said he has made no decision yet about whether to prorogue and restart Parliament this fall, and described the bureaucratic exercise as routine government housekeeping.
''That's a standard take-stock procedure and we would be doing that regardless,'' said a senior official.
''The prime minister is still weighing his options for the fall.''
But sources in two ministerial offices said the request appears aimed at producing material for a throne speech -- which is required any time Parliament reopens after prorogation.
The Tories have been considering prorogation since the spring, when they appeared to lose control of the parliamentary agenda after fulfilling their most high-profile campaign promises -- such as a one per cent cut in the GST and a new ethics package.
