The Minister for Drugs and Alcohol Policy, Christina McKelvie MSP, has died.
The First Minister, John Swinney has issued a statement.
Mr Swinney said: “I am devastated to learn of the passing of Christina McKelvie – one of the kindest and most generous people I have ever met in my life.
“In all the years since I first met Christina, I have been so grateful to call her my friend and colleague and to benefit from her warmth and loyalty.
“Christina was fiercely proud of her Easterhouse roots, and she often spoke of how injustices her family experienced in her childhood had inspired her to join the trade union movement and enter elected politics.
“In her almost two decades as a Member of the Scottish Parliament, Christina put her values into action. Whether it was helping her constituents in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse, serving as a highly-respected committee convenor, or in the Ministerial posts she held, Christina was always a fierce champion for equality, social justice, for Scottish independence and for a better world.
“But for all her many political achievements, Christina was first and foremost deeply committed to her family. Everyone could see the joy that she and her partner Keith brought to each other’s lives, and she spoke so often over the years of her pride for her sons, and more recently her immense joy at becoming a granny.
“In recent years, when Christina returned to Parliament after treatment for breast cancer, she was determined to help those around her – using her platform to encourage women to check themselves and go to screening appointments.
“The Scottish National Party has lost one of its finest, and I have lost an outstanding Minister in my government. I know her loss will be felt right across the Parliament and among the countless constituents she supported over the years. Christina was such a big-hearted woman, with compassion and social justice at her core. Her political allies and opponents would agree – she truly was a force of nature.
“Today, my thoughts and prayers are with Keith, her sons Jack and Lewis and her wider family and many friends.”
Ms McKelvie’s long term partner, Keith Brown MSP and her sons have issued a statement:
And The Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone MSP has also offered her condolences:
Scottish Green Co-Leader Patrick Harvie said: “This Parliament has lost one of our very best today. And I want to offer my deepest sympathy to all those who knew and loved Christina.
“Today is a moment of pain and sadness. But Christina’s life and her extraordinary spirit deserve to be celebrated.
“In her first speech, she said she would “rather be a citizen of a nation that looks to persuade and co-operate than bully and cajole”
“She was talking about Scotland as a nation, but I think those words also captured the kind of person she was, and the kind of politician she was.
“Lots of people in politics start out with those kinds of values and ideals, but Christina was someone who absolutely held fast to them. Compassion and kindness were at her core.
“As Christina’s partner, and our colleague, Keith Brown said today: she “lit up every room she was in” – that was certainly true of this room, our national Parliament. She brightened it in every sense.”
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