Meeting of the Parliament 09 October 2025
I thank Keith Brown for that intervention and I hope that I will be able to get a ticket to that event.
As I was saying, the motion has given us the opportunity to mark the important contribution of our dear friend and colleague Christina McKelvie to amplifying the voices of women with breast cancer in Scotland.
Earlier this year, we had a very powerful motion of condolence for Christina. For me, Christina represented the heart and soul of our party. Her determination to make Scotland a better place to live in for the generations to come and her passion to see Scotland thrive as an independent nation meant that she dedicated her life to encouraging others to speak up and speak out for what is right. She championed so many important causes and was the epitome of what progressive politics should look like.
The first time that I saw Christina McKelvie speak, I remember thinking, “Who is this amazing woman?” She was full of energy. She spoke with such passion. She owned the room and, simply, she held everyone in the palm of her hand. Her demeanour was infectious and her presence will be forever missed in this chamber.
Christina’s focus on supporting minorities and women should be applauded and her particular focus on women’s health meant that she was a passionate advocate for all the issues in relation to breast cancer. As others have said, she had been so before her personal diagnosis. She was committed to ensuring that women regularly checked their breasts and were aware of signs and symptoms of breast cancer, as well as to encouraging all eligible women to attend their appointments at her national breast screening programme. I thank Marie McNair for emphasising the importance of that in her contribution.
I am pleased to be here to outline some of the actions that the Scottish Government is working on to continue Christina’s important legacy on this issue.