“Under the U.S.-Canada agreement, air cargo will only be screened at the point of origin, saving shippers the hassle of having to have shipments screened once again at the destination,” the article says. “Roughly half of air cargo shipments in Canada are shipped on passenger planes, according to the release announcing the agreement, and the country imported and exported about $100 billion worth of goods by air in 2011.”

“The mutual recognition of air cargo security programs is just one of the first initiatives in the Beyond the Border Perimeter Security and Economic Competitiveness Action Plan announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper and U.S. President Barack Obama,” said James Nealon, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. embassy, in a written statement. “Through this program, we will be able to move goods between U.S. and Canada faster, more efficiently, and most securely.”

 According to a fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, "Air cargo is just the start. Canada and the U.S. are working together to strengthen co-ordination, co-operation and timely decision-making at the border for cargo shipped by sea or land with a view to increasing two-way trade, and reducing travel and commercial disruptions. When the Action Plan is fully implemented, the principle of 'screened once, accepted twice' is intended to apply to all modes of shipping cargo."