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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — facing his own controversies from the past — gave a strong show of support for Calgary Centre MP Kent Hehr Saturday.

Hehrresigned from the federal cabinetafter an independent investigation was launched into allegations of sexual harassment when he was an Alberta MLA in 2008.

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Following the investigation, Hehr apologized to the woman who accused him of making inappropriate comments to her, saying he had clearly made her uncomfortable.

He has not been returned to cabinet but intends to run in the 2019 federal election.

Appearing at Hehr’s Stampede breakfast at the Sunalta Community Centre, Trudeau called Hehr a “great MP.”

“We’re so lucky to have him and his voice here in Calgary Centre,” the prime minister told the crowd of several hundred people.

“He’s a strong member of the team.”

Trudeau has recently faced fallout from an allegation made in a newspaper editorial in 2000 that he had “groped” a reporter. The woman at the centre of that case issued a statement Friday saying the incident had occurred as described, including that Trudeau had apologized the next day.