Villeneuve was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs with responsibility for Francophone Affairs on June 26, 1995. He held these positions until the 1999 election. Villeneuve was not regarded as one of the more right-wing figures in the Harris cabinet, though his government presided over considerable funding cutbacks in the agriculture department and the elimination of local representatives. However, Villeneuve made his mark during the 1998 Eastern Ontario Ice Storm where he provided farmers with funding to purchase necessary generators to keep their farms afloat and most importantly, to enable farmers to continue milking their cows during the lengthy power outage. His efforts as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs didn't go unnoticed. The ministry became one of the top ministries under his reign as Minister.