Prime Minister Stephen Harper's minority government has laid out an agenda of clean government, tax cuts and tougher sentencing in its first speech from the throne.

• IN DEPTH: Speech from the Throne
• TEXT: The Speech

The main points, most taken from last winter's Conservative election platform, include:

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean delivers the throne speech.

Legislation to "clean up government," with new rules on lobbying and campaign donations.

A one-point cut in the goods and services tax, to six per cent, with a possible cut to five per cent later.

"Direct financial support" for child care, with no mention of the dollar figure cited in the campaign, $1,200 a year for each child under six.

Tougher sentences for violent and repeat offenders, particularly those convicted of gun crimes, and more police on the street.

More elbow-room for "a strong and dynamic Quebec" within Canada, including a role for Quebec in UNESCO, the United Nations agency.

A formal apology for the Chinese "head tax" charged to Chinese immigrants between 1885 and 1923.

After the speech, Heritage Minister Bev Oda said the Tories were working with Chinese groups to find the "the fairest and most appropriate" way to compensate people for the tax. There are only about 800 left alive who paid the tax, but there are many descendants, she said.

Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean began reading the speech after 3:35 p.m. EDT from a text by Harper's speechwriters.

Although it is delivered by the Governor General, the speech is the prime minister's. It sets out the government's broad goals for the new session.

It is an occasion of parliamentary pomp. The Governor General, as the Queen's representative in Canada, speaks in the Senate chamber from an oak chair reserved for the head of state or her stand-in.

• IN DEPTH: Canada's Governor General

"In support of building a stronger Canada, the government's agenda will be clear and focused," the Governor General said.

"It will clean up government, provide real support to ordinary working families and strengthen our federation as well as our role in the world."

Streets 'under threat of gun, gang violence'

Canadian streets and communities "are increasingly under threat of gun, gang and drug violence," she said, adding that the government will "tackle crime" with amendments to the Criminal Code.

It will also improve border security, she said, without mentioning the question of issuing pistols to customs agents, an idea Harper has supported.

On taxes, she said the government "will continue with a responsible approach to lowering taxes," including a further GST cut to five per cent. She did not mention the personal income-tax cuts implemented by the Liberals in January. The Conservatives have said they would reverse those cuts.

The Governor General did not speak directly about an elected Senate – an idea dear to the hearts of many Conservatives – but said the government "will explore means to ensure that the Senate better reflects both the democratic values of Canadians and the needs of Canada's regions."

Speech short on detail, opposition MPs say

Opposition critics had little good to say about the speech.

The government's agenda is "pretty thin gruel," said Liberal environment critic Scott Brison, a former Conservative who crossed the floor.

"This is not good for a cleaner, green environment," he said. "This is not good for children."

Bloc Québécois leader Gilles Duceppe said the speech was empty of detail. "We don't know concretely what he is proposing," he said.

Pat Martin, a New Democrat from Winnipeg, also referred to a lack of detail.

"We've had lots of thick, red books," he said. "Now we have a thin blue book."

"There's not much there to be excited about."