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OTTAWA — The Conservatives have held onto the late Jim Flaherty’s suburban Toronto seat — but their grip on the riding has been significantly loosened.

Tory candidate Pat Perkins has eked out a byelection victory in Whitby-Oshawa, fending off a surprisingly strong challenge from Liberal Celina Caesar-Chavannes.

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With two-thirds of the polls reporting, Perkins, a high-profile, former two-term Whitby mayor, has taken 48% of the vote — just six points ahead of political newcomer Caesar-Chavannes.

Former finance minister Flaherty, who died suddenly last spring, took the riding with a comfortable 58% in 2011, more than 30 points ahead of his nearest rival.

Support for New Democrat Trish McAuliffe, who came a respectable second to Flaherty in 2011 with 22% of the vote, has collapsed to less than 8%.

The close result, despite an all-out push by the Conservatives, suggests the resurgent Liberals may give the ruling party a run for its money in the crucial suburban ridings around Toronto — a key battleground in next year’s general election.