Collaboration Agreements - Revenue Recognized from Collaborations (Details) CAD in Thousands, $ in Thousands	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 CAD	Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2014 CAD	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 CAD
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	$ 15,573		$ 28,366		$ 27,352
uniQure [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue | CAD		CAD 0		CAD 0		CAD 547
uniQure [Member] | Milestone Payment [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue			14		531
Teva [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	0
Teva [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	11,010		12,588		13,773
Teva [Member] | Recognition of Upfront Payment [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	10,897		12,255		13,143
Teva [Member] | Research Funding [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	112		333		630
Genentech [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	250		0
Genentech [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	4,563		15,764		12,876
Genentech [Member] | Milestone Payment [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	250		7,913		5,062
Genentech [Member] | Recognition of Upfront Payment [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	725		3,603		3,300
Genentech [Member] | Research Funding [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue	$ 3,589		$ 4,248		4,514
Genome BC [Member] | Research Funding [Member] | Collaborative Arrangement [Member]
Collaboration Revenue [Line Items]
Collaboration revenue					$ 172