Mark Carney, the former governor of Canada's central bank, on Thursday launched his bid to succeed Justin Trudeau as Liberal Party leader and prime minister, immediately becoming a frontrunner in the race.

Mark Carney announced his bid to become leader of the Liberal Party of Canada surrounded by dozens of supporters in Edmonton on Thursday.

Carney disclosed his intentions to a crowd in Edmonton, Alberta, the western Canadian city where he spent the bulk of his youth, promising an economic agenda focused on lifting the country from a period of stagnant growth.