OTTAWA – The Royal Canadian Legion, once counted on by the government to be the voice of reason among veterans groups, is striking a more defiant tone and demanding federal officials address the issue of burial expenses for poor and homeless ex-soldiers.

A major annual conference among veterans groups is set to get underway in Charlottetown on Thursday, but the Last Post Fund — and the fact it has rejected two-thirds of applications since 2006 — is not on the official agenda drawn up by Veterans Affairs.

Brad White, an ex-army officer and the Legion’s Dominion Secretary, said his organization will not drop the issue of funeral coverage and says he can’t understand why it hasn’t been fixed.

Over the last six years, 20,147 applications were rejected by the Last Post Fund because the deceased veteran did not meet the eligibility criteria.

To qualify, a veteran must have earned less than $12,010 a year and served in Second World War, Korea, or been in receipt of a veterans disability pension.

A spokesman for Veterans Affairs Minister Steven Blaney says the Charlottetown agenda is only a framework and the funeral issue will almost certainly be discussed.