First Phosphate Momentum Grows: Canada Funds AGAIN & Quebec Fast-tracks – CEO John Passalacqua
In this episode, John Passalacqua, CEO of First Phosphate Corp. explains two major government-backed catalysts advancing the company’s flagship Bégin-Lamarche igneous phosphate project in Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean, Québec.
First, Bégin-Lamarche was selected for “Filon” support status with Québec’s Ministry of Natural Resources and Forests, an initiative designed to accelerate mining projects in the province. Second, First Phosphate finalized agreements for an addition $4.84 million in non-repayable contributions from the Government of Canada, via Natural Resources Canada’s First and Last Mile Fund, to advance the Bégin-Lamarche deposit. This new funding adds to the $16.7 million already committed by NRCan in March 2026 through the Global Partnerships Initiative — bringing total recent federal backing north of $21.5M.
Both announcements reflect Ottawa’s and Québec’s shared push to build out domestic critical minerals supply chains for the North American LFP battery sector — de-risking permitting timelines and infrastructure costs for First Phosphate ahead of construction.
Tickers: CSE: PHOS – FSE: KD0 – OTCQX: FRSPF – OTCQX-ADR: FPHOY









