Setting his priorities for the next parliament, Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he wants child care allowance cheques to be mailed out by July 1.

"Cabinet has reiterated our plan to proceed with our plans for day care," he said at the end of his first cabinet meeting on Monday, after being sworn in late this morning.

He also said Parliament will be called into session on April 3, a Monday.

All three opposition parties in Parliament opposed the Conservative child care plan during the recent federal election campaign. That plan would see the federal government give each family with a child under the age of six an allowance of $1,200 per year.

The Liberals, who have 102 members, ran on a proposed national daycare program, which would have created more formal daycare spaces.

Before the election, the then-governing Liberals had signed a number of child care deals with the provinces.

"On the 31st of March, 2007, we will phase out the existing agreements with the provinces," Harper said.

"At that point in time, we will be in the process of putting in place the new program for the creation of childcare spaces that we discussed during the election campaign."

Other announcements, priorities

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said he can't say when the Tories will lower the GST from seven to six per cent; however, doing so was a priority.

"Don't worry, we'll balance the budget," he told reporters, who had questions about the impact of a GST cut and funding the child care allowance.

In addition, Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl promised farmers an additional $500 million in aid -- money which had been promised by the former Liberal government. The money would be going out within two weeks, he said.

Justice Minister Vic Toews expressed his preference for public parliamentary hearings to review the qualifications of the next judge appointed to the Supreme Court of Canada.

However, he said the matter still must be discussed with Harper and his new cabinet colleagues.

Health Minister Tony Clement said his top priority will be implementing the party's wait-time care guarantee.

That promise, which would see the government pay for a patient to receive treatment elsewhere if they can't get it in their home community within a specified time.

That promise, along with addressing the so-called fiscal imbalance between Ottawa and the provinces, weren't costed out in the Tories' election platform.