Stephen Harper offered no acknowledgment Saturday of concerns raised by veterans' groups, funeral home directors and many others that a federal burial fund for poor veterans is rejecting most applications for help.
The prime minister was asked how he felt about the fact that the Last Post Fund has turned down 67 per cent of applications since 2006 because of narrow eligibility requirements.
Harper is set to visit the Sai Wan Bay War Cemetery in Hong Kong today, a site that includes the graves of 283 Canadian soldiers from the Second World War.
"Let me just say that the government of Canada puts, as you know a very high priority on care for our veterans. This government has made enormous, billions of dollars worth of investments in programs particularly for the most needy veterans," Harper said at a news conference with Philippine president Benigno Aquino.
"Obviously, those programs are under constant review and we will continue to assess their suitability going forward."
But Veterans Affairs Canada reviewed the Last Post Fund in 2010. The amount paid out through the fund - $3,600 - has not changed in 12 years, and is less than some provinces contribute to help defray the hefty costs of funerals for homeless people or those on welfare.
The executive director of the Last Post Fund, an independent agency, has been lobbying for changes to the eligibility requirements, which do not include veterans from the most recent conflicts including Afghanistan.
The fund is reviewing the case of a younger homeless veteran found on the streets of Calgary who does not strictly meet the eligibility requirements.
Overhauling eligibility and increasing the funeral stipend, which hasn't been raised in a decade, could cost between $5 million and $7 million annually. By contrast, the government has put $28 million into commemorating the War of 1812.
The Last Post Fund is not the only sore spot for the Harper government on the veterans file.
Over the past several years, it has had to answer questions about breaches of privacy involving the medical files of veterans applying for benefits, concerns over the new lump-sum payment system for veterans that replaced pensions for life, and the government's attitude toward newer veterans as compared with those from the two World Wars and the Korean War.
