In May 2013, Colwell was allegedly the victim of an assault by Percy Paris, a fellow member of the Legislative Assembly of Nova Scotia. "Yesterday in the house of assembly, I was assaulted and threatened by the minister of economic and rural development and tourism," Colwell said in a statement.
Colwell claimed that she had been physically attacked by Percy Paris, another member of the Nova Scotia Legislative Assembly. "The previous day in the legislative assembly chamber, I was subjected to physical violence and verbal threats by the minister of economic and rural development and tourism," Colwell said in a statement.