by Neal Hall
May 28, 1997
Justice Minister Allan Rock got a surprise visit Tuesday at an all-candidates meeting outside Toronto from a former Richmond housewife now in the witness protection program.
Tami Morrisroe appeared unexpectedly at the meeting at a school in Rock's riding of Etobicoke to ask the minister if he would authorize the RCMP to investigate the case of her father Sid, who claims he was wrongfully convicted of a Vancouver murder.
Morrisroe stood up at the all-candidates meeting and introduced herself as a 26-year-old mother now in the witness protection program. She advised that showing her face on film would endanger her life and is an offence under the Witness Protection Act.
"When will you authorize the RCMP to investigate this case and when will you ..... move my father to the safety of the witness protection program before he gets killed?" Morrisroe asked at the meeting.
She told Rock three years ago, she alerted him to a convict who claimed he knew about Morrisroe's father being framed for the 1983 murder of Penthouse nightclub owner Joe Philliponi.
"As justice minister, you personally dismissed this information because you didn't believe me," Morrisroe said at the meeting.
She said in a later interview that she was disappointed Rock said he wouldn't authorize the RCMP to investigate, noting his department is already investigating new information supplied by Morrisroe about her father's innocence.
Even though she arrived in disguise without RCMP protection, Morrisroe said Rock spotted her right away.
"He shook my hand and said, "Oh, hi - I'm happy to see you,' " she recalled. "He called me courageous, but we had a bit of an emotional exchange."
She said she decided to attend the meeting because she had called Rock 50 times in the last three months, including Monday, and he didn't return her calls.
Morrisroe is living in the witness protection program somewhere in North America with her two young children, her common-law husband and her brother.
Last year, she said, she infiltrated a Vancouver criminal organization with links to the Cali cocaine cartel of Columbia. The gangsters she met imported shipments of cocaine and were involved in contract murders, she has alleged.
While working as an undercover police agent, she married Sal Ciancio, 34, who allegedly told her details of contract killings and said he had killed two dozen people.
Ciancio has been charged with six weapons offences but not with murder. he remains in custody after failing to post $15,000 bail.
Morrisroe also claims to have helped police try to solve eight murders.
In the past, she has locked herself to the front door of Rock's office to get the minister's attention about her father's case.
Today, Morrisroe has paid for a half-page ad in the Etobicoke Guardian newspaper to tell Rock's constituents about her ordeal. In the ad, Morrisroe asks why Rock won't authorize the RCMP to investigate and says she feels betrayed by the Liberal government.
"Surely, Mr. Rock, one shouldn't have to take out a newspaper ad to ask you for help?" she said in the ad.
"I'm sure he wishes I would go away, "Morrisroe said.
"But I'm not - even though I'm in witness protection."
THE END
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