Marci Ien, a federal TV morning show host and former reporter, won the riding of Toronto Centre with 42 percent of the vote, beating newly elected leader of the Green Party, Annamie Paul, to replace former Minister of Finance Bill Morneau.
In York Centre, Ya’ara Saks received 45.7 percent support and beat Conservative Party candidate Julius Tiangson, who received 41.8 percent of the vote, Elections Canada said.
Analysts say that the tight margin of victory in Liberal strongholds that were won by double digits in last year’s election show the alleged transgressions by the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are having an impact on voters.
Morneau, who faced a mounting backlash following his admissions that he accepted expense paid trips and that both of his daughters have relationships with the WE Charity, resigned as minister and parliamentarian on 17 August.
Former York Centre member of parliament Michael Levitt stepped down on September 1, after accepting an offer to become the new CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies.