The Canim Lake people are known in the Shuswap language as the Tsq'escenemc, "people of broken rock",[1] while their community is known as Tsq'escen' ("broken rock")
The Canim Lake Band has not signed any treaty with any settler-colonial political entity, nor has it ceded any land and let go its territorial claims. As part of the Northern Secwepemc te Qelmucw (Tribal Council), Canim Lake Band has been in negotiation with the government of Canada and the government of British Columbia regarding a final treaty settling this matter. An "Agreement in Principle" was signed in 2018. Once a final agreement is signed between the Tribal Council, Canada, and British Columbia, it is expected that the Indian Reserves will be abolished, the territories under jurisdiction of Canim Band will expand significantly, and former reserves will be absorbed into settlement land under sovereignty of Canim Lake Band.[3]
Canim Lake band has the following 5 Indian Reserves under its jurisdiction.[4] As explained before, these reserves were unilaterally defined by the Government of British Columbia, and thus the Band has never retracted its claim on its territory. These reserves are expected to be abolished and absorbed into settlement lands, after the signing of a final agreement.
