Fonds 88/35 - Office of the Judge Advocate General Senior Legal Advisor Europe fonds

The Senior Legal Advisor Europe (SLAE), was a regional organization of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (JAG), which was responsible for the legal duties required to be performed for the Department of National Defence, the Army, the RCN, the RCAF and the Defence Research Board. Some of the particularities of the European component of the JAG included trying courts martial for matters handled in civil courts when occurring in Canada since the National Defence Act extended criminal jurisdiction to forces deployed overseas and their dependants. The lengthy Canadian presence in Germany during the Cold War permitted the Canadian Armed Forces to become accustomed to handling serious civil crimes by courts marital instead of civil courts. As well, in Europe, certain of the JAG's representatives were appointed by the Governor-in-Council to act as courts for the purposes of the Canadian Citizenship Act. In addition to its duties with Canadian Forces units in Europe, the SLAE was responsible for providing legal advice to Canadian authorities at the various North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Headquarters in Europe, under certain circumstances. The Assistant Judge Advocate General (AJAG) Europe was also responsible for providing legal services to elements of the Canadian Forces serving with the United Nations in Europe. As of August 1993, the office of the SLAE was still in existence with its location at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Lahr, in Germany. The last of the Canadian Forces pulled out of Germany in 1994.