Former central banker Mark Carney picked up a handful of endorsements on Tuesday, including from the government's most vocal climate champion, as the Liberal leadership race whizzes ahead on a tight timeline.

The former governor of the Canadian and British central banks announced he was running to become head of the Liberal Party and prime minister.

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.

If successful, the former Bank of England governor would become Canada's interim prime minister ahead of the next general election

Liberal leadership hopeful Mark Carney has secured the endorsements of four more current and former cabinet ministers.