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When Kent Hehr was sworn in Wednesday as a member of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet, he became the first Liberal minister from Calgary since 1972.

But it is the perspective he brings to his new post as Canada’s Veterans Affairs minister that truly marks him as unique.

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In 1991, Hehr — then a promising college hockey player — was the victim of a random drive-by shooting that left him a quadriplegic, confined to a wheelchair after spending nine months in hospital.

In an interview from Ottawa after the first meeting of cabinet, Hehr said he will bring a sense of empathy as he takes over a Veteran Affairs file that in recent years has seen controversies around office closures, job cuts, as well as changes to pensions and benefits.

“I’ve gone through some of the situations veterans have to. I understand red-tape issues, those things that bog you down that don’t allow you to get the services you need,” said Hehr, who was elected in Calgary Centre in the Oct. 19 federal election.