Nycole Turmel is about to see her run as the interim leader of the New Democrat Party come to an end but at the convention on Friday, she said she will be happy to see a new leader take the helm.

Speaking to CP24.com before the NDP convention came to an official start at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Turmel said though she is "sad" about the end of her leadership, she is happy for the experience.

"There's a bit of sadness in me but I'm leaving the party in good hands," she said. "I'm really excited. This is a great convention, with great candidates and I'm really happy."

Despite her experience in the last seven months, Turmel is adamant that party leadership is still not something she will pursue in the future.

"No, I won't," she said laughing. "I was proud to do it, I was proud [the late Jack Layton] asked me to do it but it's a lot of stress and emotion. I'll let a new leader do their job."

Layton's request that Turmel take over as interim leader while he fought an aggressive form of cancer raised a few eyebrows among political pundits. The 2011 federal election was the first time Turmel ran for the NDP. Though she won the riding of Hull-Aylmer handily, beating a Liberal incumbent, many questioned her political ideologies.

Turmel was a member of the Bloc Quebecois party from December 2006 until January 2011. She accepted the NDP nomination a short time after handing in her Bloc membership card.

When Layton succumbed to his illness, Turmel continued to lead the party, speaking out in the House of Commons as the official opposition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservatives.

Turmel, who is not publicly endorsing any candidate, said she's learned some important things during her tenure and has some advice to share with the party's future leader.

"You need a lot of respect for people in this job," she said. "You need respect for your colleagues, the caucus, the people. You also need to work as a team. That's what Jack showed us and asked us to do."

Taking the podium 40 minutes later to a crowd of cheering delegates, Turmel reiterated her excitement for the future.

"Are you ready to make history this weekend?" she yelled out to the exuberant crowd. "Are you ready to choose the next prime minister of Canada?"

To see photos from the NDP convention, click here.

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