A woman who says she was sexually assaulted at a Halifax bar is speaking out about the alleged incident, while the Liberal MP who has been accused is calling it a case of mistaken identity.

The woman says she was at the Halifax Alehouse with some friends around 3 a.m. Saturday when she felt more than one hand grab her buttocks.

“The minute that the assault took place, I whipped around to confront those individuals. As I did that, they pointed out somebody that was beside me, not behind me,” says the woman, who asked not to be identified due to concerns that it could affect her employment.

She says the incident left her feeling violated.

“I didn’t know who he was. He was wearing a delegate tag so I tried to get a snap shot of his tag so I couldn’t forget who he was,” she explains. “So when I tried to get his identity, he hid his tag from me and began to get very irritated.”

The Liberal Party held a national convention in Halifax from Thursday to Saturday and the woman says the man’s delegate tag was in the Liberal Party colours; nearly identical lanyards were worn by delegates who were in town for the convention.

She says she started taking a video when someone tried to take her phone away, but she managed to snap some photos and video before leaving the bar. When she got home, she phoned police.

“I was scared to at first. I have a career. I don’t want my life to be over,” she says. “I would like to see full accountability be dealt to all the individuals. This is not a small little butt-grab situation. There’s a lot more to it.”

MP claims case of mistaken identity

Liberal MP Francis Drouin, who represents the eastern Ontario riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, confirmed on Sunday that an allegation had been made.

Drouin provided another statement Tuesday afternoon, detailing his version of what happened at the bar early Saturday morning.

He says he was chatting with some friends and they proceeded to the bar to buy a round of drinks when he heard a woman shouting from another part of the bar.

“While I was standing facing the bar, with my credit card in hand, I heard what I believed to be a woman's voice coming from another area of the establishment behind me, yelling that her buttocks had been grabbed," says Drouin in his statement.

"Her comments were clearly not directed towards me."

Drouin says he turned away from the bar and shouted,’ Get that man out of here,’ to draw attention to the alleged incident. He says he turned back to the bar and paid for his drinks. He and his friends then went to another area of the bar, he says.

“Several minutes later, while standing with a group of people, I was approached by a woman with a cellphone in hand, who mistakenly attempted to connect me with the alleged incident,” says Drouin.

“We told her that she was mistaken.”

Drouin says he has informed the Prime Minister's Office and the government whip's office and has been co-operating with police as they investigate the allegation.

He also says he believes it is important for individuals to have a safe environment in which to come forward and feel supported, but that this particular incident is simply a case of mistaken identity.

“I am confident that the facts of the issue will lead to a clear outcome,” he says.

Meanwhile, the complainant says she has handed her cellphone pictures and video over to Halifax Regional Police, who confirm they are investigating a report of a sexual assault at the Halifax Alehouse early Saturday morning.

“It’s all about gathering the information, right. That includes viewing the video, obtaining any video, and encouraging people to come forward,” says Halifax Regional Police Const. Carol McIsaac. “We need evidence to go forward in the investigation and we want to bring it to a successful conclusion.”

Police have not confirmed whether the assault allegation involved Drouin or anyone from the Liberal convention.

They are asking anyone with information about the alleged incident to contact them.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Laura Brown