Canada would closely examine any proposal for a tie-up between Lenovo and BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion, Canada’s Finance Minister Jim Flaherty says

“It’s something that we would look carefully at,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg news at the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland on Friday.

He also said “absolutely” when asked whether some local technologies are off limits to potential overseas buyers.RIM, Canada’s largest-listed technology company, rose to the highest in more than a year in Toronto trading Thursday after Lenovo said it was considering a bid among other options for expanding its mobile-devices business.

RIM (Nasdaq: RIMM) shares closed at $17.74 but reached a 52-week high of $18.20 shortly after the news report about Lenovo’s interest.

Lenovo, the world’s No. 2 PC maker, maintains its executive headquarters in Morrisville, but most of its operations are based in China.

RIM has said it’s assessing strategic options after losing market share to Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics.

Canada has previously blocked foreign takeovers of local companies because of security issues. In 2008, it vetoed a C$1.33 billion ($1.33 billion) bid from U.S.-based Alliant Techsystems Inc. for MacDonald Dettwiler & Associates Ltd.’s satellite business. Cnooc Ltd., received approval from the Canadian government for a $15.1 billion acquisition of Nexen Inc., the biggest takeover by a Chinese company, in December.

“We always look at foreign investment in Canada as a cause for reflection,” Flaherty said in the interview with Bloomberg Television’s Erik Schatzker. “We have to look at intelligence concerns.”

Lenovo, which bought IBM’s PC unit in 2005, is considering acquisitions as competition from tablets hampers profit growth. The computer maker has also introduced new products including smartphones.

RIM shares have rallied in recent months as it nears the launch of new BlackBerry 10 devices and software later this month. Sharea traded up 3.3 percent at $17.92 in late-morning trading.

Lenovo Chief Financie Officer Wong Wai Ming made the headlines in an interview with Bloomberg news.

“We are looking at all opportunities – RIM and many others,” Wong  said early Thursday. “We’ll have no hesitation if the right opportunity comes along that could benefit us and shareholders.”

If Lenovo were to buy RIM, the deal would unite two firms with a major presence in the Triangle.

Lenovo operates its executive headquarters in Morrisville. RIM has a research and development operation in the region.

RIM began a review of its strategic options last year after losing market share to smartphones such as Apple Inc.’s iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co.’s Galaxy, raising speculation that it could be a takeover target.

(Bloomberg contributed to this report.)