Steven Blaney just can’t find good press these days. The Minister of Veterans Affairs has spent weeks defending his government’s record of helping the country’s vets, but he barely addresses one barrage before another is unleashed. It came to light in October that the Last Post Fund, a program meant to pay for veterans’ burials, wasn’t coming close to covering the full cost, and funeral homes were paying the difference. Then it was revealed that the same program had rejected two-thirds of the applications it received since 2006. Late last month, the Ottawa Citizen broke the news that veterans who were prioritized for jobs in the federal public service were getting “squeezed out” in the wake of job cuts. Yesterday, a group of veterans and widows complained in a news conference on Parliament Hill that Veterans Affairs Canada has all but abandoned them. And in this morning’s Globe and Mail come allegations of a raft of issues at Canada’s largest veteran-care facility in Toronto. Phew. Not even the most glorious profiles of remembrance could drown out that mounting list of complaints. Remembrance Day in Ottawa is set to be unseasonably warm. How ironic, given the chilly relations between those we remember and the government meant to lend them a hand.

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What’s above the fold this morning?

The Globe and Mail leads with a feature about the Schans family, which saw eight of its members enlist in the military during the Second World War. The National Post fronts a Montreal connection to the eventual killing of Osama bin Laden. The Toronto Star goes above the fold with the ORNGE founder saying the organization’s board wouldn’t let him step down. The Ottawa Citizen leads with Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s advice to the United States and India. iPoliticas fronts the host of global challenges facing a re-elected U.S. President Barack Obama. National Newswatch showcases an Ottawa Citizen story, written by Stephen Maher and Glen McGregor, about the current whereabouts of the Conservatives’ campaign manager in Guelph in 2011.

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Stories that will be (mostly) missed

1. Philippines tease. Postmedia’s Matthew Fisher explains why Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s trip to the Philippines, on the tail end of his tour of India, is so important to both countries.	2. RCMP re-focus. Robert Lunney, a former RCMP superintendent, says the force should focus on combating organized crime and terrorism—and not local police work.
3. Cyber-security. The RCMP warned in its annual report that serious gaps exist in Canada’s readiness to protect its cyber-security. The force is calling for “improved capabilities.”	4. Laval mayor to resign? Reports suggest that later this morning, embattled Laval Mayor Gilles Vaillancourt will resign the post he’s held since 1989 amid corruption allegations.

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