The Canadian government has been monitoring the possibility of a foreign takeover of RIM, with a senior minister prepared to discuss foreign investment rules with Thorsten Heins, the ailing BlackBerry-maker’s CEO, according to Reuters.

While RIM has said it is reviewing the strategic options for its business, it has stopped short of explicitly stating that it is up-for-sale. The rumour mill has linked the smartphone maker with Samsung and IBM, although the former has already played this down.

The report said that while the authorities were prepared to address the issues with RIM if they arose, Heins never broached the topic – meaning it remained undiscussed. Had he done so, the guidance would have been that decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, and need to bring a “net benefit” to the country.

With a significant chunk of RIM’s operations being based in Canada, the company’s activities there are of special interest to the government.

According to reports this week, RIM has recently laid-off a number of staff in Canada, including 25 percent of its workforce in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

It was also said that RIM is working with the authorities in Ontario, as well as several educational institutions, to help workers who have lost their jobs recently.