Statistics Canada's recently released data on Canadian families shows single-parent families are becoming more common.
Nunavut's has the highest percentage of lone parent homes in the country.
Nattilik MLA Jeannie Ugyuk was not surprised by the numbers. She was a social worker before entering politics, and she says there are many reasons for the statistics in Nunavut.
"There's a lot of suicides in Nunavut, some of them leave children, it's sad, but it's a fact. There's also a lot of violence in Nunavut homes, where some people decide to raise children on their own."
The national average of single-parent homes is 16 per cent. Nunavut has nearly double that number at 28 per cent.
This spring, the Nunavut legislature passed a beefed-up law on child support. Ugyuk said people on their own should use the tools available to get the money they're entitled to.
The Northwest Territories has the second-highest number of single-parent families, at 21 per cent. Yukon is close behind, with 20 per cent of families in the territory.