Soldier deaths in Manitoba and Alberta under investigation

Two Canadian soldiers who had ties to the military base in Shilo, Man., have been found dead in western Canada in thepast week.

The RCMP is investigating at least one of the cases, in which a soldier posted to Canadian Forces BaseShilo wasfound dead onTuesday at a homejust outsidethe basein the Rural Municipality of Cornwallis.

The Canadian Forces confirmed that he was a member of 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry.

A defence official says RCMP are investigating and it appearsthat the soldier killed himself.

In the other case, a soldier who had been transferred this summer fromCFBShilo to a reserve unit in Lethbridge, Alta.,was found"in distress" last Friday at a local corrections centre, and diedin hospital on Monday.

That member belonged to the 20th Independent Field Battery.Alberta's Justice Department referred questions to the military.

Neither soldier has been identified.

A CFB Shilospokesperson told CBC News that all signs point to suicide in both cases.

The military is reviewing the circumstances of both deaths, butdid not indicate whether military police were involved or whichdefence agency was leading the probe, the spokesperson added.

Officials at National Defence confirmed that neither soldier wasassigned to the military's joint personnel support units, which aresupposed to prepare the wounded to either return to their front-lineunits or be discharged from the military.

Soldier sought advice recently

"I was in absolute shock, absolutely devastating,"Cpl. Glen Kirkland, who served in the same unit as the soldier who was based inShilo, told CBC News on Wednesday.

"He was absolutely a fabulous guy and a great soldier. Good, caring guy, very easy-going."

Kirkland, who said he received the call about the soldier's death on Tuesday night, said his friend hadsought advice from him just two weeks ago.

The soldier, a veteran of two tours in Afghanistan, asked aboutthe post-release procedure to access benefits through VeteransAffairs Canada and was upset about not being able to collect apension, Kirkland said.

Aside from being in the infantry, Kirkland's friend had onlyworked on a farm with horses and didn't feel qualified to doanything else.

"He was concerned that he was going to be released from the military because of his back issues and because of his post-traumatic stress disorder," Kirkland said.

"I just gave him as much advice as I could I was just there for him."

Kirkland said while he does not know exactly why his friend died, he said the burden of being discharged could not have helped.

Aside from dealing with medical concerns, one of the most seriousstresses for those leaving the military is fear of the unknown thatcomes with potential job retraining and the financial uncertaintythat accompanies it, he said.

"I can't speak on behalf of these guys because I don't know whatwas going through their heads, but when their potential earnings andeverything is limited, the financial stress on these people is justoutrageous," said Kirkland.

'Our nation is abandoning them,' says advocate

Kirkland, who has fought a high-profile battle withNational Defence on behalf of soldiers being medically dischargedagainst their will,said the two deaths should be a wake-up call for the federal government.

His point wasechoed by Michael Blais, president of the group Canadian Veterans Advocacy.

"I'm just so profoundly saddened and I have to ask myself, 'My God, have we not learned anything yet?' I mean, when will we stand up as a nation and provide the services that these men and women deserve?" he said.

"They're in pain, they're suffering, our nation is abandoning them."

The CFB Shilo spokesperson said the Canadian Forces takes the health of its members very seriously and has many supports in place for members and their families.

But Kirkland said the federal government needs to step up support and services for soldiers, who he said are avoiding medical help amid fears of being discharged.

Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau reacted to news of the soldiers' deaths on Twitter on Wednesday, responding to a tweet from Kirkland that askedwhat his party would do "to correct this wrongdoing."

"First, our thoughts are with the families and friends who have lost a loved one," Trudeau wrote.

"Second, I would keep the promise made to those who serve: better benefits and care now."