Marci Ien, the Liberal Candidate for the Toronto Centre riding, is pictured on Thursday October 22, 2020. Voters in two Toronto ridings head to the polls today in the first electoral test of the federal Liberal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

OTTAWA - The federal Liberals faced stiff byelection challenges Monday in two Toronto ridings normally considered safe for the governing party.

Broadcaster Marci Ien hung on to Toronto Centre for the Liberals, fending off a strong showing by newly minted Green party leader, Annamie Paul.

But York Centre remained a toss-up several hours polls closed, with the lead alternating repeatedly between the Liberals and the Conservatives.

With 120 of 143 polls reporting, Liberal Ya'ara Saks was leading by just 50 votes over Conservative Julius Tiangson

One-time Conservative leadership runner-up Maxime Bernier ran for his break-away Peoples Party of Canada in York Centre.

While he took less than four per cent of the vote, his presence in the race could have been decisive, to the extent that he likely drew votes away from his former party.

The two byelections marked the first electoral test of the Liberal government's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. And in both cases, the Liberals saw their share of the vote drop markedly.

During last fall's general election, the Liberals took Toronto Centre with just over 57 per cent of the vote, York Centre with just over 50 per cent.

With 127 of 144 polls reporting, Ien had captured 41 per cent of the votes, nine points ahead of Paul whose recent elevation to the Green party's helm clearly boosted her profile and her electability.

Paul ran a distant fourth in Toronto Centre during last fall's general election with just seven per cent of the votes.

Paul had urged Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to postpone the byelections, arguing that it was unsafe to send voters to the polls in the midst of the second wave of the deadly coronavirus.

Toronto Centre was left vacant by former finance minister Bill Morneau's abrupt resignation in August amid reports of tensions between him and Trudeau over massive spending on pandemic relief.

York Centre was left vacant last month by Liberal MP Michael Levitt's resignation to become CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies.

Both ridings are long-time Liberal strongholds.

Toronto Centre has been held by the Liberals for decades, including by former interim party leaders Bob Rae and Bill Graham.

Although long considered one of the safest Liberal seats in the country, York Centre fell to the Conservatives in 2011 before Levitt wrested it back in 2015.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 26, 2020.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2020