Percentage of lone-parent families with children under age 6 receiving social assistance, Canada and the provinces/territories, 2005 and 2010
![](https://cichprofile.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/09/2.5.3_final_revised_lone_parents_and_social_assistance.png)
Source: CICH graphic created using a Statistics Canada custom data run of Taxfiler variables relating to families with children under 6 for each province and territory, for 2005 and 2010.
In 2010, 33% of lone-parent families received social assistance. That was down slightly from 35% in 2005.
For both 2005 and 2010 the highest rates of lone parents with children under 6 receiving social assistance were in Nunavut and Saskatchewan and the lowest rates were in Alberta, British Columbia and the Northwest Territories (2010).
In 2005 and 2010, in all provinces/territories the rates for lone-parents receiving social assistance were higher than for couple families with children under 6.1
1Statistics Canada custom data run of Taxfiler variables relating to families with children under 6 for each province and territory, for 2005 and 2010.