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Trudeau didn’t specifically address the five judges in New Brunswick when asked about them during an event Thursday in Montreal, but instead defended the Liberal-installed system for appointing justices.

“We have a merit-based, transparent appointment system,” he said, adding: “We are pleased that we have nominated top-notch judges right across the country — and we will continue to.”

The Trudeau government last month named lawyers Arthur Doyle and Robert Dysart to the bench in New Brunswick, where Elections Canada records indicate both have been regular donors to the federal Liberals and contributed to LeBlanc’s failed leadership run.

Their appointments followed that of fellow lawyer Charles LeBlond, who also donated to the Liberals and to LeBlanc, in March.

LeBlanc is also neighbours with the new chief justice of New Brunswick’s Court of Queen’s Bench, Justice Tracey DeWare, who was appointed to the position last month, according to the CBC.

And Moncton family lawyer Marie-Claude Belanger-Richard, who was picked to fill a judicial vacancy last November, is reportedly married to LeBlanc’s brother-in-law.

We are fully confident that the process ... that we've put in place is the right one

In each case, the Liberals touted the appointments as having come through a new application process established in October 2016, which instituted various changes to the 17 committees responsible for vetting prospective judges.

The government says the changes bolstered the independence and transparency of the process to ensure only the best candidates are recommended, though cabinet is ultimately responsible for signing off on each appointment.