|Riding|Candidate|Gender|Residence|Occupation|Votes|%|Rank|Biographical notes|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|Cape Breton—Canso|Mark MacNeill|M|Inverness|Government and Business Policy Advisor|7,660|21.1|3rd|Served in Ottawa as a consultant with National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, with the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Solicitor General's Aboriginal Policing Secretariat.|
|Central Nova|Mary Louise Lorefice|F|Antigonish|Retired educator|7,659|19.6|3rd|Lorefice is a retired teacher from Antigonish, who has lived in the community for 38 years.|
|Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley|Karen Olsson|F|North River|Stay-at-home Mother|4,874|12.3|2nd||
|Dartmouth—Cole Harbour|Brad Pye|M|Ottawa, ON|Senior Political Party Program Officer|12,793|31.5|2nd|Pye is an international development worker and son of former Dartmouth North MLA Jerry Pye.|
|Halifax|Megan Leslie|F|Halifax|Community Legal Worker|19,252|42.7|1st||
|Halifax West|Tamara Lorincz|F|Halifax|Director of Nova Scotia Environment Network|12,201|29.6|2nd|An environmentalist.|
|Kings—Hants|Carol E. Harris|F|Wolfville|University Professor|8,291|22.0|3rd|She was the NDP's candidate in the 2000 election in Esquimalt—Juan de Fuca.|
|Sackville—Eastern Shore|Peter Stoffer|M|Windsor Junction|Parliamentarian|24,279|61.4|1st|Stoffer has been the incumbent MP since 1997.|
|South Shore—St. Margaret's|Gordon S. Earle|M|Upper Tantallon|Retired Public Servant|13,456|33.7|2nd|Earle is the former federal MP for Halifax West (1997–2000). Has run in this riding unsuccessfully in 2004 and 2006.|
|Sydney—Victoria|Wayne McKay|M|Sydney|Teacher|8,559|24.4|2nd||
|West Nova|George Barron|M|Bear River|Paramedic|7,097|16.9|3rd|Barron was born near Paris, Ontario, he has been a paramedic for 22 years. He was nominated on October 28, 2007.|

Question: how many of the candidates were females?
Answer: 5