Prime Minister Stephen Harper has outlined an agenda aimed at bringing his Conservatives closer to a majority government, with promises of a one percentage point cut in the GST and a crackdown on violent crime.

The throne speech, delivered by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean Tuesday night, also says Canada should remain in Afghanistan until at least 2011 -- well beyond the proposed February 2009 deadline.

But the extension would be put to a vote during this coming Parliamentary session.

The throne speech also said Canada cannot meet its greenhouse gas reduction targets under the Kyoto protocol.

The Liberals have hammered away at the Conservatives on both of those issues, putting the party in a difficult position on whether to support the government.

"The worst of it, the most troubling of it, is the weakness of everything they are proposing on the environment and climate change," Liberal Leader Stephane Dion told reporters.

Both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois have announced their intentions to vote against the speech, leaving the fate of the government up to Dion.

But the Liberal leader said Canadians want a Parliament that functions, not an election, and he would give his party's official response to the speech Wednesday afternoon.

"Canadians don't want a third election in three-and-a-half years, so we'll have a real lively caucus tomorrow," said Dion.

The caucus meeting could be especially lively because of recent party infighting. Liberal MP Marcel Proulx confirmed Wednesday that he resigned this past weekend as Dion's right-hand-man in Quebec.

Sources told The Canadian Press that Proulx, who represents the Hull-Aylmer riding, quit after hearing that Dion had offered the post to Montreal MP Denis Coderre.

But Coderre has turned down the position, leaving Dion to find another replacement. After the throne speech, the Liberals announced it would be Celine Hervieux-Payette, the party's Senate leader.

If Dion forces an election, Harper would use the throne speech as his election platform. The document outlined five new priorities:

• Strengthening Canada's sovereignty in the world;
• Forging a stronger federation;
• Providing economic leadership;
• Tackling crime; and,
• Improving the environment.

On the issue of crime, the speech gave plans for a new "Tackling Violent Crime" bill that would crack down on impaired driving and set mandatory prison terms for gun crimes.

The first of the priorities promised to protect Canada's Arctic.

"Canadians see in our North an expression of our deepest aspirations, our sense of exploration, the beauty and the bounty of our land, and our limitless potential," Jean read.

The government's plan would also include the creation of a "world-class" Arctic research station to study environmental science and resource development. The station would also map the Arctic seabed, with the intention of strengthening Canada's claim to the region.

The following additional measures were also included in the speech:

• Granting honorary citizenship to Nobel Peace laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, detained by Burma's military rulers;
• Tax cuts for individuals and businesses;
• The government will limit its ability to spend tax dollars in the provinces;
• Increased funding for cities and infrastructure;
• More measures to help senior citizens; and,
• No new national programs without provincial approval -- a direct appeal to Quebec.

Liberals feel pressure over speech

The promise to abandon Canada's Kyoto commitments puts pressure on Dion, who must now decide whether to support the speech or trigger an election.

But analysts said he will likely support the speech.

"This is an unprecedented situation. Usually in a minority government, the opposition is trying to bring the government down, but here it's reversed," political analyst Tom Flanagan told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

"I think for the first time in Canadian history, we have a government which wouldn't mind being defeated, but it can't seem to get the opposition to come out against it."

Both the NDP and Bloc Quebecois are expected to vote against the speech.

NDP Leader Jack Layton has said recently that his party cannot accept the government's stance on climate change and Afghanistan.

"We can't express confidence," he told CTV's Mike Duffy Live.

"He's not going to get a mandate to head in this direction from the New Democrats. He'll have to turn to Mr. Dion, to see if he's going to support the Harper direction or not. But are the Liberals even going to show up for work?"

Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe had put forward five "non-negotiable" conditions for his party's support of the speech, one of which was a commitment to meet Canada's responsibilities under the Kyoto Protocol.

Green Party Leader Elizabeth May also attacked the throne speech for what she described as a cynical promise for action on climate change.

She said the Conservatives used the throne speech "in an attempt to sound like they're committed to climate change, which we know they're not."

The Liberals have a few days to decide whether to support the government's throne speech.

Liberal MP Garth Turner told reporters that Dion is a consensus-builder and that more discussions will be held with Liberal caucus members before a decision is made.

A Strategic Counsel poll released late Monday shows a fall election would likely result in another minority government.

With a report by CTV's Robert Fife in Ottawa