Mark Carney tells Jon Stewart the Liberal party has 'a chance' after Trudeau's resignation

Days ahead of his expected Liberal leadership campaign launch, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to step down boosts the party's chance in the next general election.

Days ahead of his expected Liberal leadership campaign launch, former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor Mark Carney says Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's decision to step down boosts the party's chance in the next general election.

"I think it does give the Liberal party a chance," Carney said when asked directly by host Jon Stewart in an interview with "The Daily Show" on Monday night.

After days of speculation since Trudeau's resignation announcement last week, sources tell CTV News Edmonton that Carney is expected to kick off his campaign in Edmonton on Thursday.

Carney grew up in Edmonton where his father, Bob Carney, ran for the Liberals federally in 1980 in the riding of Edmonton-South, coming in second to Douglas Roche, a Progressive Conservative.

Asked by Stewart several times whether he is running to be the next Liberal leader, Carney would not answer directly, at one point saying, "I just started thinking about it," with Stewart later joking to him that "you're being so coy with me. I love the chase."

During the interview, Carney acknowledged the many challenges Canadians have been facing over the past few years, including housing affordability and inflation.

"Truth be told, the government has been not as focused on those issues as it could be. We need to focus on them immediately. That can happen now," Carney said.