In 2009, opposition politicians and some journalists pressured Doer to call a public inquiry into a controversy involving expense claims from the 1999 provincial election. Elections Manitoba had determined that some reimbursement claims filed by the Manitoba NDP were unwarranted; in late 2003, the party agreed to repay $76,000 in an out-of-court settlement. Critics have charged a lack of transparency in the process, and have questioned why Elections Manitoba did not lay charges. At least one Winnipeg journalist has compared the matter with an expenses scandal faced by the Conservative Party of Canada following the 2006 federal election. Doer has argued that the matter is settled, and that there is no need for an inquiry.