TORONTO (CUP) — Michaëlle Jean referenced universities and colleges only once in Wednesday’s 75-minute speech from the throne.

Don’t worry about specifics, though — they were only vaguely mentioned as recipients of projects as part of the federal government’s economic action plan.

The speech opened the third session of Canada's 40th Parliament. The throne speech, read by the Governor General on behalf of the federal government, traditionally outlines the agenda for the upcoming parliamentary session.

The speech did mention students — aboriginal students, in the one reference — saying that the government will work to “support (aboriginal) student success and provide greater hope and opportunity.”

No reference was made, however, to the support that was entirely withdrawn from the First Nations University of Canada last month — in a move student representatives have called “outrageous” — or any strategic plan going forward for the school, which may soon have to close its doors.

Canada’s youth, who saw their highest-ever rate of unemployment last year, need not scour CPAC tapes or scan the nearly-6,000 word speech for a strategic plan to avoid the problems of yesteryear. Unemployment — along with poverty and homelessness — was only briefly mentioned by Jean, who said the government “will continue to work on job creation and job protection.”

The throne speech comes after a two-month parliamentary hiatus, which Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested of Gov. Gen. Jean in December so as to allow the Conservative government to “recalibrate” their economic action plan for Canadians. The speech detailed plans to curtail the federal government’s huge budget deficit, largely by slashing expenditures.

Highlights from Jean’s speech included opening up Canada's telecommunications market to foreign competition — meaning that, in light of the lack of a post-secondary education strategy, students might save on future cell-phone bills if new competition drives down prices. She also suggested that Parliament “examine the original gender-neutral English wording of the national anthem,” which currently refers to “all thy sons command.”

Harper’s political opponents were quick to voice their displeasure. Opposition leader Michael Ignatieff called the speech a “sorry collection of old stuff,” and told reporters that the money-saving plan to freeze politicians’ salaries is “not a deficit-reduction plan.”

NDP leader Jack Layton criticized the lack of a “comprehensive plan to get people back to work,” and Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said the speech neglected Quebec.

For the full text of the speech, visit http://www.speech.gc.ca/eng/media.asp?id=1388.