Parliament Hill is abuzz with speculation Prime Minister Stephen Harper is considering a cabinet shuffle amid suggestions the Tories are preparing their government for a spring election.

One source told The Globe and Mail that federal cabinet ministers have been told to stay within a plane ride of their Ottawa offices during the first week of January in case they are required to return.

The speculation was prompted by the fact that caucus members are limited from travelling during the current minority government because of the possibility of losing a vote in the Commons.

However, the House of Commons does not return until mid-month.

There are also rumours that Environment Minister Rona Ambrose could be moved from her post, as the Tories try to make over their environmental image.

Ambrose has come under increased scrutiny after a week in which she came under fire for her performance in front of a House of Commons committee.

Sources told the Toronto Star the arrival of a new environment minister would coincide with a revamp of the Tories' green plan, which was widely panned when it was unveiled this fall.

With the arrival of newly minted Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who was elected partially on the strength of his environmental agenda, pressure is building on the Harper Conservatives to revamp their green image.

The Star says the rumour mill is whispering possible successors to Ambrose are Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, or longtime MP Diane Ablonczy.

However, with only a 14 per cent female Conservative caucus, the party can't afford to boot Ambrose.

The Star says Ambrose could take on the post of intergovernmental affairs as her next gig.

Rumours of a looming election have been bolstered by speculation the Bloc Quebecois could try bring down the Tory government as early as February 15.

There have been suggestions the Bloc could table a vote of non-confidence in the government's handling of the war in Afghanistan.

"Obviously nobody can guess when an election will come. There's been so much sabre-rattling even in this final week of Parliament, with the Bloc Quebecois threatening to bring in some kind of a motion as early as February on the Afghan mission," CTV's Rosemary Thompson reported from Ottawa.

"The problem is would the NDP and the Liberals support that? Hard to say right now. Mr. Dion was asked about that, he is not making any commitments right now."

Observers are speculating Harper is preparing for a looming election by knocking off promises from his campaign list.

On Wednesday, Harper delivered the news about his Senate reform initiative with an election-style pep talk to his Conservative caucus.

"Our economy is strong. Our administration is clean. Our country is united and the world is spreading the word, Canada is back," he said, against a black backdrop flanked by Canadian flags.

One day earlier, Federal Accountability Act became law. The Act was the centrepiece of the Tory platform during last winter's election campaign, marketed to voters as a cure for the corruption uncovered during the inquiry into the sponsorship scandal.

With files from The Canadian Press