Yesterday the Liberal party issued a press release, condemning the way Conservative organizers allegedly "duped" expectant mothers into participating in one of their campaign photo-ops. You can read more about it here.

In the business, we sometimes call "ordinary people" who are strategically placed near politicians in promotional photo opportunities "potted plants." Yes, they are in the picture, but they're really there to make the politician look better.

Alas, the scenario the Liberals are complaining about seems all too familiar. It's not the first time pregnant women were invited to be the potted plants in the background of a Conservative government message in Ottawa.

Flashback to the spring of 2007. I was expecting and attending a weekly "Fit Mom" class to get some safe, prenatal exercise. One week, the instructor showed up at class, gushing about a chance for us all to be on TV and promote the idea of women exercising safely throughout pregnancy. (No doubt the instructor saw an opportunity to promote her business as well.)

We were all asked to attend a free exercise class downtown over the noon-hour, where journalists would watch us exercise and see that even ladies with enormous bellies could do walking lunges and push-ups.

When a few more questions were asked, however, it was revealed that this "class" we'd be participating in for the cameras would also be attended by Health Minister Tony Clement. Because of the obvious professional conflict of interest, I declined to attend, but the press release about the event is here.

In the end, those who attended admitted to being a little disappointed. They didn't really make it onto the television news, except for a few short shots, and the event was more about the minister launching his healthy pregnancy public awareness campaign than promoting the fitness instructor's business.

Shoulders were shrugged, and another small group of well-meaning individuals got just a little more cynical about politics, and the media that feeds off it.

There are lessons here: be savvy and ask questions before participating in or attending these events. Unless, of course, you want to be a potted plant.

— Janyce McGregor