I don't know about Canada but my best guess is that it would be along the same lines as the US. The BIOS files are not part of the emulators, they are seperate files. So as long as you play games that don't need a seperate BIOS file, you're safe from the law.
For the US it is legal to own the Roms (fair use) but illegal to own the BIOS
So that would make MAME ok because it does not have the BIOS? Do you know the rule in Canada?
I don't know about Canada but my best guess is that it would be along the same lines as the US. The BIOS files are not part of the emulators, they are seperate files. So as long as you play games that don't need a seperate BIOS file, you're safe from the law.
Last question...you have to own the original though?
Well, I guess that's up to you :)
Tell that to the judge LOL! I get your point though.