Journalists don't often have much opportunity these days to talk to three cabinet ministers at once.

That might explain why almost 20 reporters crammed into a tiny overheated room in a downtown Ottawa office tower this afternoon. They had all been told about an "important announcement regarding the National Anti-Drug Strategy" with Health Minister Tony Clement, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day.

Alas, today's "important announcement" turned out to be the launch of a TV advertisement to help educate parents about street drugs.

If you're experiencing deja vu, that's exactly what the reporters were feeling as well.

Many had attended a remarkably similar news conference on March 5. The same group of cabinet ministers had launched a series of almost identical radio and newspaper ads.

In fact, if you close your eyes and listen to a group of kids rhyme off code names for dangerous street drugs, the TV ad is pretty much the same as the radio ad launched six weeks ago.

Some reporters became quite peeved. One yelled out that these ads aren't new at all and asked Clement whether the Conservative government was trying to change the channel from its Elections Canada problems to the more comfortable topic of getting tough on crime.

Clement though, in his affable way, replied, "that would attribute to us a level of organization we can only aspire to."