Prime Minister Stephen Harper, set to deliver the speech from the throne on Oct. 16, has consistently maintained that he has no intention of calling a fall election.

But, with the Opposition already laying out its demands, Harper warned earlier this month that the choice is not between an election and "obstruction."

Tuesday's throne speech will be put to a confidence vote, meaning an election could be triggered if all three parties move against it.

If an Opposition party supports the throne speech, Harper is also demanding that the party back subsequent legislation that flows from it.

To ensure this, the Conservatives could designate a series of subsequent bills as confidence matters.

The following is a list of demands that the opposition parties want Harper to address in his throne speech:

Liberals

Liberal Leader Stephane Dion, who recently shuffled his shadow cabinet, says he believes "Canadians do not want an election."  He has promised that his new team will attempt to work with the other parties to pass legislation.

In September, Dion said he will need to hear Harper's response to four key issues. They include:

• Canadian notification to NATO that it will end its combat mission in Afghanistan in 2009. The government must make clear the wording of the motion, and confirm how it will vote.
• A commitment to reintroducing Bill C-30 in the new parliamentary season, which is designed to protect the environment and fight the effects of climate change.
• Addressing the manufacturing challenges facing Canada's economy.
• Setting out a plan to combat poverty in Canada.

Dion said without these four key elements, "you can understand we will not be able to rise to support such a throne speech."

Bloc Quebecois

In September, Bloc Quebecois Leader Gilles Duceppe outlined five 'non-negotiable' conditions that the Conservative minority government must meet in order to secure his party's support.

If not, Duceppe said his party was prepared to vote against the throne speech.

Duceppe is calling for the:

• Elimination of all federal spending powers in provincial jurisdictions
• government to assist workers in the ailing forest industry
• Continuation of supply management in the agricultural sector
• Kyoto Protocol to be respected by the Tories
• Harper government to make a clear commitment to pull out Canadian soldiers from Afghanistan when the current mission ends in February 2009.

NDP

NDP Jack Layton confirmed earlier this month he had a "one-on-one meeting" with the prime minister about the upcoming throne speech.

"I presented to him the direction that we in the NDP feel the prime minister should be following," Layton told reporters.  "We feel that he's off track with the majority of Canadians on key issues."

The NDP's three priorities for the coming Parliament include:

• Ending the combat mission in Afghanistan
• Tackling the climate change crisis
• Closing the prosperity gap by making life more affordable for everyday families.