Interim NDP leader scrutinized for sharing dried leaves from legislature office

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 30/05/2016 (3766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said Monday he will ask “appropropriate authorities” to investigate “potentially illegal” distribution of an alternative cancer treatment that interim NDP leader Flor Marcelino is sharing from her legislature office.

It could mean a formal complaint to Health Canada about Marcelino’s distributing, for free, the dried leaves of the guyabano fruit plant.

Health Canada has said there is no scientific evidence that the leaves treat cancer, and they can have harmful side effects. There are also strict controls on importing guyabano and selling or giving it away.

“We’ll refer to the appropriate authority to look at it… potentially referring this to Health Canada,” Goertzen said in an interview. “I’m not the appropriate authority,” but he said he’s having officials look into it.

Late Monday afternoon, Marcelino issued a statement by email in which she said she made a mistake having repeated claims about guyabano’s potential to help those suffering from cancer, and would not be sharing the dried leaves from the office of the leader of the opposition.

Marcelino said in her statement that she recalls only one time that someone picked up guyabano leaves from her legislature office.

Goertzen said he is uneasy about the health implications of Marcelino giving away guyabano, and also about her using her legislature office to distribute the leaves.

“I am concerned with members of the legislature using their offices” for any inappropriate purpose, Goertzen said. “As legislators, we’re setting the bar as high as possiible.”

Marcelino declined to make herself available to reporters on Monday. NDP communications director Denise MacDonald said Marcelino was busy with preparation for Tuesday’s budget, and no one else in the party would comment.

Meanwhile, Health Canada officials said Monday they were aware of a Winnipeg Free Press story published Saturday about Marcelino’s promotion of the purported cancer treatment, and would respond within a couple of days.

In an email sent previously to a Free Press reporter, Marcelino said she has shared from her legislative office for the past three years the leaves, which she says have positive benefits for people with cancer. She brings the dried leaves back from the Philippines, and asks others to also bring back the leaves when they visit the Philippines.

Both Health Canada and CancerCare Manitoba told the Free Press last week that not only is there no medical evidence that guyabano — also known as graviola, soursop or annona muricata — is an effective treatment for cancer, there are potentially dangerous side effects in ingesting its leaves.

Ottawa requires approvals and permits to bring guyabano leaves into Canada and to sell or give it away, and has regulations requiring that it be promoted only for authorized uses.

In an earlier email to a Free Press reporter proposing a story on guyabano, Marcelino wrote: “I have been sharing guyabano leaves (no charge) to family, friends, acquaintances and even complete strangers after hearing that it has healed several folks I know of cancer, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.”

“I know of two people now who are still around after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Actually there are many cases in the Philippines that I have heard of being cured by the leaves. One whom I know very well had breast cancer,” she wrote.

However, NDP staff said Marcelino has been too busy the past two weeks to grant an interview. MacDonald said Marcelino tried unsuccessfully to phone a reporter Friday night when the story was first published online.

nick.martin@freepress.mb.ca