He would also host a show at CFIM, a community radio station and would be active in politics being the president of the Parti Québécois in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine region twice, while he was the vice-president of the YES committee in the 1995 referendum.[citation needed]
Arseneau was first elected as an MNA for Îles-de-la-Madeleine in 1998 and was named the delegate minister for tourism and the minister responsible for the Gaspésie-Îles-de-la-Madeleine region. After Bernard Landry replaced Lucien Bouchard as Premier of Quebec, Arseneau was named in 2001 the minister of agriculture, fisheries and food. Arseneau was re-elected in 2003 and 2007. He was the PQ's critic in agriculture, fisheries and food. He did not seek re-election in the 2008 provincial elections.[citation needed]