Who are the 5 candidates vying to be Nova Scotia's next PC leader?

Two women and three men are campaigning to lead Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative Party. On Oct. 27, the party will choose the person who will lead it into the next provincial election, likely sometime in 2021.

Here are the candidates:

Julie Chaisson

• Julie Chaissonhas built her campaign around leading the Progressive Conservativesin a new direction, and presentedherself as apolitical outsider and voice of change for the party.
• She is theexecutive director of the Halifax Seaport Market and has worked in the trucking, energy and construction sectors.
• Chaissonwasa PC candidate for Chester-St. Margaret's in the 2017 provincial election.
• Shelives in Chester Basin,LunenburgCounty. She's married and is the mother of three children.

Cecil Clarke

• Cecil Clarke iscareer politician andsays he has the experience to win and take over as premierwith a minimum amount of on-the-job training.
• He is currently in his second term as mayor of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
• He was elected to the legislature in 2001 and was re-elected three times, serving as a cabinet minister foreconomic development, energy and justice.
• Clarkegot married in North Sydney just last month.

Tim Houston

• Tim Houston isone of the party's most vocal critics of the Liberals andhaspositioned himself as most able to take on the Liberals in the next election.
• He is a chartered accountant who serves as thePC's finance critic.
• He was first elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly as MLA forPictouEast in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017.
• He is married with two children andlives inPictouCounty.

John Lohr

• John Lohris appealing to the more conservative wing of the Progressive Conservative Party, vowing to oppose a carbon tax, protect religious values and remove barriers to natural gas development.
• Heis anagri-businessentrepreneur and owns Farmer John's Herbsin Kings County, where he has lived all his life.
• He was elected to the Nova Scotia House of Assembly in 2013 and again in 2017, representing Kings North.
• He is married with three sons.

Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin

• ElizabethSmith-McCrossinhas focused on private sector job creation and is pledging to cut taxes, including a zero tax rate for small business.
• She is a nurse who also holds an MBA from Saint Mary's University. Shehas owned a number of businesses including a health food store and a wellness clinic.
• She was elected to theNova Scotia House of Assemblyin 2017, representingCumberland North.
• She lives in Amherstand ismarried with four children.