Ms McKelvie took medical go away final 12 months as she underwent therapy for secondary breast most cancers.
She died on Thursday morning at Glasgow Royal Infirmary.
First Minister John Swinney stated that he was “devastated” by Ms McKelvie’s dying, including that she was “one of many kindest and most beneficiant individuals I’ve ever met in my life”.
“The Scottish Nationwide Get together has misplaced one in every of its best, and I’ve misplaced an excellent minister in my authorities. I do know her loss shall be felt proper throughout the parliament and among the many numerous constituents she supported through the years,” he added.
Who was Christina McKelvie?
Ms McKelvie grew up within the Easterhouse space of Glasgow. She was elected as an MSP for Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse in 2007 and received the constituency in 2011.
In keeping with Mr Swinney, Ms McKelvie was “fiercely happy with her Easterhouse roots” and “usually spoke of how injustices her household skilled in her childhood had impressed her to affix the commerce union motion and enter elected politics”.
Christina McKelvie campaigning with activists at Rutherglen’s Cuningar Loop (Rebecca McCurdy/PA)
Ms McKelvie served as an equalities minister between 2008 and 2023, spearheading a lot of impactive social schemes. She launched the world’s first technique to sort out social isolation and loneliness as a well being difficulty, tackled menopause stigma and launched laws banning FGM (feminine genital mutilation).
She additionally promoted the Clare’s Regulation, a scheme that allows police to launch details about somebody’s historical past of violence or abuse. Underneath the regulation, you possibly can request details about your accomplice or ex-partner (or a good friend or relative’s accomplice or ex-partner) should you’re apprehensive they’ve a historical past of abuse and may very well be a danger to you or another person.
Ms McKelvie went on to function tradition minister, adopted by her most up-to-date position as medication and alcohol coverage minister. As Scotland’s drug deaths reached the worst in Europe in 2023, Ms McKelvie labored to implement efficient hurt discount and assist rehabilitation and restoration of these dwelling with alcohol or drug dependency.
Ms McKelvie’s long-term accomplice was Keith Brown, the deputy chief of the SNP. Following her dying, Mr Brown stated that Ms McKelvie “lit up each room she was in together with her positivity and shiny smile”.
First Minister John Swinney (left) and SNP deputy chief Keith Brown communicate through the get together’s annual nationwide convention (Jane Barlow/PA)
PA Wire
Mr Brown stated: “We’re immensely happy with all Christina achieved.
“She was enthusiastic about many points, together with advocating for individuals dwelling with MND (motor neurone illness) and sponsoring the primary Put on It Pink on the Scottish Parliament in assist of Breast Most cancers Now a few years earlier than her personal prognosis with breast most cancers, after which she used each alternative to encourage girls to examine themselves and go to screening appointments.”
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